Can you imagine what life would have been like 200 years ago? How would your average day be different? The obvious things first come to mind – no electricity, no indoor plumbing, no cars and of course, no wi-fi!
One of the less obvious factors that has changed as our lifestyles evolved is the amount of time we spend outside. As technology has advanced, we’ve been able to create more comfortable indoor environments and we have a lot less reason to leave our air conditioned fortresses.
We don’t need to garden when we can get groceries delivered. Taps means we don’t have to go outside for water. Cars mean we aren’t exposed to the elements when trying to travel, which I’m sure we all agree is better than being stuck in a storm with only a horse and cart!
Now while technology advances are awesome, all of this means we spend less time outside. Sure, we occasionally throw some effort at making our outside look more natural (cue the fake houseplant) but overall, we get less sun and less fresh air than ever before.
This has negative effects on almost everyone, but it’s especially detrimental to those of us with ADHD. Now I know it might sound a bit out there, but spending time in the fresh air and around things that are green can make a huge difference. There have been a few studies that show time in nature reduces stress and then as a result, improves focus and attention. They’ve tested it with adults and kids and the result is always the same – more time near nature is good for your brain. Even if you are just looking at it through a window, or listening to nurture sounds on an app, the results still show up. There’s more recent research happening about ‘blue spaces’ as well, which is starting to show it’s not just being near trees that helps us; bodies of water have awesome impacts too.
ADHD brains operate differently so for us, time in nature is extra good! Being outside (and preferably disconnected from screens) gives your brain and nervous system a chance to slow down, even just a tiny bit. When we can slow our brains and bodies down, we have the opportunity to be more present, more self-aware and calmer in general. If you’ve spent most or all of your life in a state of ‘go go go’, then the first time you feel this stillness, you probably won’t like it. It will feel foreign, different, even scary. This is completely normal. All human brains are wired to be wary of things outside of our norm, that’s how we survived caveman days and made it the current air-conditioned caves! The more often your body experiences this feeling of stillness, the less uncomfortable you’ll find that feeling to be.
Now, we don’t all have the opportunity to pack up our lives and live in the bush for weeks at a time. So, let’s explore a few ways you can get some more nature in your day, without having to turn it into another task you feel obligated to squeeze into your already full life.
- Park your car a few minutes further away and walk the extra distance to work.
- Sit outside when you have a meal, whether you’re at home or work. If you go to a restaurant that has inside and outside, choose outside.
- Put some hardy indoor plants in your house, including in bedrooms.
- Ditch the indoor treadmill and walk some laps around your house.
- Set up an outdoor area to sit in that you enjoy. Find things you do inside that you could take outside (meal planning, reading etc)
- If you have a covered veranda, you can do some many things there! Set a desk up out there for kids’ homework. Drag your ironing board out there (if you iron, I do NOT). Take some cushions and play cards.
- Screens are part of life. If you’re stuck on a screen, can you sit under a tree with it? Or swing in a hammock? Or at least sit somewhere you can see a tree?
One way that’s really helped me to get more time in nature is to consider what I’m doing in the moment and ask “Can I do this outside?”. I love a short morning yoga session and when I do this on my verandah instead of in my loungeroom, it starts my day with a whole different tone.
If you can set up even more time in nature, then go right ahead! These ideas are just to get you thinking about simple ways to increase your exposure to nature without a whole lot of planning or lifestyle changes.
How can you spend more time outside this week?
Thanks for reading!