Finding your reset in nature
🌳 Have you noticed how you feel after spending time in nature?
After a busy shift, a walk outside can sometimes make a surprising difference. You might feel a little calmer, your mind a bit clearer, or simply have more energy.
For nurses and midwives, who spend so much of their working lives caring for others, time in nature can be a simple way to pause, reset and reconnect with yourself.
There’s something about being outdoors that helps us step away from the noise, demands and busyness of everyday life. Research suggests there are good reasons why spending time in nature can support our wellbeing.
🍃 You don't need to go far
You don’t need a weekend in the wilderness to experience the benefits of nature.
A short walk around the block, sitting under a tree, listening to birdsong, feeling the sun on your face or simply looking up at the sky can give you a chance to slow down.
Time in nature can help shift us away from the ‘fight or flight’ response towards a more relaxed ‘rest, digest and restore’ state.
Even a few minutes can be a useful reset during a busy day.
🚶♀️ Take a nature break
A gentle walk outdoors can help clear your head, get your body moving and restore your attention.
If you’re at work, consider stepping outside during your break rather than staying in the staffroom. Even a few minutes can make a difference.
🌤️ Pause and soak it in
Find your own ‘sit spot’ — somewhere you can simply stop for a few minutes.
Look around. Notice the sky, clouds, trees, flowers or moving water. There’s no need to achieve anything. Just give yourself permission to pause.
👃👂 Engage your senses
Nature gives us plenty to notice.
Take a moment to tune into:
- 👃 The smell of rain, flowers, leaves or fresh earth
- 👂 Birds, wind, rain or flowing water
- 👀 The colours, light and movement around you
- ✋ The feel of bark, soil, grass or a gentle breeze
- 🌡️ Changes in temperature, sunlight and shade
Using your senses can help bring your attention back to the present moment.
☀️ Get some natural daylight
Spending time outdoors during the day provides important environmental cues for our body clock and sleep–wake cycle.
If you can, try getting outside for some natural daylight during the day — particularly if you’ve spent most of your shift indoors.
🌱 Get your hands in the soil
Gardening, planting or simply getting your hands into the soil can be surprisingly restorative.
Caring for something living combines movement, sensory experiences and a connection with place — whether it’s a garden, a few pots on your balcony or a couple of herbs on the windowsill.
📵 Give yourself some screen-free time
Sometimes a nature break is most effective when you leave your phone in your pocket.
Give yourself a few minutes away from notifications, scrolling and constant mental stimulation.
You don’t have to be available every minute of the day.
🐢 Slow down
Nature doesn’t ask you to achieve anything.
You don’t need to walk a certain distance, close your exercise rings or tick something off your to-do list.
Just pause. Take a breath. Look around. Notice what is happening.
🎶 Use your voice and your breath
Humming, singing or using slow, rhythmic breathing can help promote relaxation.
Try taking a few slow breaths, allowing your abdomen to gently rise and fall, while you take in your surroundings.
🌏 Remember — you are part of nature
It’s easy to think of nature as something we visit, but we are part of it.
We depend on sunlight, air, water, plants, soil and countless other living systems every day.
Connecting with nature can remind us that we are part of something bigger — and can strengthen our sense of belonging and connection to the world around us.
💚 The takeaway
You don’t need a wilderness adventure to benefit from nature.
Your backyard, a local park, a tree-lined street, a garden, your balcony — or even a few minutes looking at the sky through a window — can provide an opportunity to pause, reconnect and restore.
For nurses and midwives, caring for yourself doesn’t have to be another task on the list.
Sometimes, it can simply mean stepping outside, taking a breath and giving yourself a moment. 🌿