A lot of office workers, and in particular those of us who spend hours at a computer, have a tendency to, if not actively avoid going outside, then at least not think too much about making a point to be outdoors.  I was intending to take a nap one recent stress-filled day, but was dragged outside instead, and I will admit that it did a lot more for my mood than a nap would have.

When I first started writing this article, my seasonal allergies hadn’t kicked in fully.  Now they have.  Rather a lot.  Therefore, while I will still present my originally planned content, I’m going to be leaning much more heavily on “how to enjoy nature from safely behind glass and copious air filters.”

I grew up in Southern California, land of palm trees and blue skies and…. Honestly, mostly just smog (1980s represent!), scrub, and heat distortion off the asphalt.  I did have seasonal allergies there, but I really had no idea what I was in for later in life, when I moved out to East Tennessee.  I’ve had to resort to staying indoors more than I’d prefer, but living basically in a forest has done marvelous things for my mental health!

Photo by Thomas Bormans on Unsplash

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A Big No To The Big Light

Years ago when I worked in a small office with only other developers and computery type folk, we kept the lights low.  No overhead fluorescent lights.  On the rare occasion those evil rectangles of eyeball-searing illumination had to be turned on, we’d cringe, and hiss, “you’re killing my mushrooms!” Honestly, the dark room was cozy.  Even the walls were painted dark, and our code editing software (and everything else we could make that way) used dark mode. Despite the comfort of the darkness, it turns out that natural sunlight is actually good for you…. dang.

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Go Touch Grass

Photo by Y S on Unsplash

Usually, if someone tells you, “go touch grass,” it roughly translates to “you’re being a jerk, you’re out of touch with reality, get offline and go outside and settle down.”  But it’s actually good advice, both as a “take a deep breath and step away from the situation,” and literally.  Flexing your bare feet on uneven surfaces like grass strengthens not only your foot muscles, but also improves your balance and posture.

There have been some studies that support the idea that making physical contact with the earth, whether through grass, trees, or the soil itself, helps many aspects through electrical grounding.  “Research shows numerous positive changes produced from grounding such as stress reduction, improved sleep, blood-thinning, inflammation reduction, reduced muscle tension, reduced pain, and increased energy.” 

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Okay, But –

What if you’ve got copious allergies?  What if you are a walking mosquito buffet? What if you sunburn in moments?  The good news is that just seeing natural greenery through a window has a worthwhile amount of benefit.  It’s “best” to actually be outside, but really, what’s truly best is whatever you can get.  Even looking at pictures of plants on a screen can improve your mood and stress levels.  Plastic and fabric plants in your home or office are good, too!

If you want to try to go outside despite allergies, though, I’ve found that a KN95 mask does a decent job of filtering out all the pollen, and there are UV-blocking shirts you can get so you don’t have to slather on sunscreen and get your hands all icky.  As far as mosquitos go, it helps to avoid the early and late hours of the day.  I saw someone with a plastic dragonfly on a bouncy wire clipped to their hat say that it deterred the tiny ravenous beasts of the sky.  There’s also various sprays and bracelets you can use to repel them.

Photo by Steve Lieman on Unsplash

There’s nothing quite like the baffled stares of people seeing you walking outside, covered with long sleeves, a hood, a wide-brimed hat, and big chonky respirator, with fake dragonflies bobbing around you. 

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Listen to Birds Yammer On

Photo by Judy Beth Morris on Unsplash

The chatter of birds singing and chirping can really help calm your nervous system and lower your stress levels.  Except for the obvious alarm calls, birds tend to do their singing when they know it’s safe.  So it speaks to the older parts of your brain that take cues from that.  There’s an oft-used concept in storytelling where the main character is in the forest and suddenly “all the birds and animals went silent, and a chill ran down my spine.”  You know if the birds are trying to be invisible, there’s something wrong.  Hearing birds and bugs and squirrels, even if you’re not consciously paying attention, can be so soothing.  If you can’t get outside, or you’re working at night, you can put on a youtube video of birdsong and nature sounds, and chill.

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The Takeaway

Nature good. Go outside. If can’t outside, look at fake outside.