Nature Is a Natural Stress Killer
This isn’t a groundbreaking discovery. You don’t need a scientific study to prove it. You can test it yourself: go out, walk in nature for two or three hours, and see how you feel afterward. Most likely, you’ll return home refreshed, energized, and with noticeably lower stress levels. There’s just one caveat: leave the screens behind. No phone, no laptop, just you and the sounds of the wind, birds, and trees.
We all know this truth, yet so few of us actually practice it. Why? Because we’re chained to our phones, trapped in an endless feed of news, notifications, and work messages. There’s that constant fear of missing out on something urgent—breaking news, an important email, or a Slack message that just can’t wait (even though, realistically, it probably can). And so we check, refresh, and scroll until we realize we’re more exhausted than informed.
I’ll admit it: I’m guilty of this myself. I’ve seen how much stress it generates, especially when it bleeds into work. Recently, the combination of long hours, constant Slack pings, and my inability to disconnect impacted my health and my sleep. Even when I wasn’t working, I was working—mentally rehearsing emails, thinking about projects, or reflexively reaching for my phone. It’s a vicious loop, and breaking free feels nearly impossible.
Traveling with my family over the last two weeks only highlighted this problem. I skipped workouts, fell out of routine, and instead of spending more time outdoors, I glued myself to my phone to keep up with the latest political news. I found myself following headlines, checking work messages, and doomscrolling instead of being present, reading, or working out. And for what? None of it made me happier or healthier. Quite the opposite, it spiked my stress levels. Thankfully, I noticed the toll before it got too serious, but the wake-up call was there.
Around this time, I started listening to Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, and it hit me like a mirror held up to my habits. Newport talks about a “digital declutter,” where people commit to 30 days without optional technologies such as social media, news apps, or endless messaging, so they can rediscover what truly matters. One story he shares is about a woman who, during her declutter, replaced Instagram scrolling with long walks and meaningful hobbies. By the end of the 30 days, she realized she hadn’t actually missed anything essential online. What she gained instead was clarity, calm, and more time to invest in herself and her relationships.
That resonated with me. Inspired, I put my phone in another room and chose to focus on the present. The most powerful reset, though, came when I went back into nature.
I took my daughter and our dog to the nearby forest, and the moment I stepped under the trees, I couldn’t help but smile, a real, big smile I hadn’t felt in days. Watching my daughter explore, laughing as she discovered new things, seeing my dog run wild with joy, it reminded me of what I’d been missing. I snapped a few photos, yes, but otherwise the phone stayed in my pocket. For once, I was truly present. It was the complete opposite of staring at a screen, doomscrolling through bad news or refreshing work messages; instead of feeling drained, I felt alive again.
I listened to the rustle of leaves, the wind weaving through the branches, and the faint sounds of distant animals. The stress melted away. All the noise, the pressure to do more, faster, better, faded into the background. What remained was simple happiness, a sense of lightness I’d been craving.
When we returned home, I was physically tired but mentally alive. I ate launch I cooked for the family a day before, tucked my daughter in for a nap, and sat down to journal and write. For a few days, I hadn’t written at all, partly because of work, partly because I didn’t want to pressure myself to make writing another task on my to-do list. But that day, it felt different. It felt like joy again.
I don’t know exactly where this writing journey will take me, but I do know one thing: when I feel stuck, overwhelmed, or drained, the answer isn’t more screen time. It’s stepping outside. Touching grass. Breathing fresh air. Letting nature restore what technology slowly drains away.
The moral? Don’t forget there’s a whole, vibrant life beyond the screen in your hand. No news headline, work ping, or endless scroll will ever recharge you the way a quiet hour in nature can. Sometimes the simplest act, closing the laptop, pocketing the phone, and walking into the trees, is the best medicine we’ve got.
See you soon!
