Nature is something we take for granted in today’s day and age. It affects our lives more than we realize. Whether it’s choosing to wear a hat to shade your eyes from the beaming sun, or staying home during a frigid blizzard, nature leaves its mark on society. While nature influences us in terms of weather, it also has immense effects on our mental health. 

The most important tool I used on my self-growth journey was nature walks. There is just something about unplugging your headphones, smelling the crisp air, taking in your surroundings, and being one with our Earth. Walking through nature is one of the most relaxing things you can do. Simply taking a quick 10- to 20-minute walk through your neighborhood, a park or the woods will help you escape from reality and calm your mind.

I owe nature walks everything when it comes to being a less anxious person. Whenever I feel anxious, I immediately step outside and start walking. I tend to walk to places I have never walked before. This mini-adventure that I go on brings me a child-like feeling of discovery. 

This gives me what I call “positive dopamine.” I believe there are positive and negative ways to get your dopamine fix. A positive is something such as going to the driving range and hitting a bucket of golf balls. This is something in nature that makes the dopamine hit feel more natural and earned. While a negative would be the opposite, artificial and given. Doom-scrolling on Tik Tok watching people use clickbait and other cheap ways to supply dopamine is a perfect example of negative dopamine. 

Much like macronutrients, there are “good and bad” ways to consume them. You could eat a perfectly seared steak to get your protein in, or you could drink artificially made protein shakes. While the protein shake is certainly not super awful, it is still not natural for our bodies. 

I think it is important for our generation to focus on these two types of dopamine. Ask yourself, “Is this a good use of my time?” “Should I be pumping my brain with dopamine all the time?” “Is this healthy for my dopamine receptors?”  

What is the most natural way to produce positive dopamine and relieve stress, anxiety and depression? It will always be nature. That feeling of making your dopamine in nature rather than relying on internet content is such a powerful feeling, it gives you a feeling of accomplishment, much like working for a good grade on an exam or that promotion at your job, it feels earned. 

Overall, nature will treat your mental health just as well if not better than other coping mechanisms will. Doing activities in nature will help you produce positive dopamine, which brings you a better and more natural feeling than artificial dopamine will. Nature will help relieve your anxiety and depression, just simply by relaxing in it. 

Next time you are having a rough day, go do your preferred nature activity and give your brain some well-deserved positive dopamine. 

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