Reconnecting With Nature for Emotional Health and Stress Relief
- Carien Lubbe-De Beer
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
My body answered the question immediately: a walk on the beach.
The question came from my Mindful March Somatic Awareness Series. Earlier in the week, on Day 6, it asks, What does your body want more of?
So this morning, Sunday, I took the opportunity to drive down to the beach. What a privilege it is to live so close. As my feet touched the sand, I was guided by today’s Mindful March question: “What is the first sensation you notice?”
Every time my feet touch the sand, I remember all the times we went to the beach as a child. It is in such contrast to where I live now. Back then, a beach holiday was six hours away, and therefore a rarity. But I loved the beach. We played a game in the car to see who would spot the ocean first, and the humid, salty air could be felt almost an hour before arriving.
Dropping Into the Senses
It fills me with gratitude, and with that, I drop into my heart space. Moments like this remind me how deeply our bodies respond to nature.
I remind myself to slow down and unpack all that my senses are experiencing: the hot sand, the sun on my skin, the wind on my face. I also begin to notice what sensations arise inside.
The view of the ocean expands something within me. I notice that I’m anxious — my tummy feels tight and constricted. Simply acknowledging that allows my shoulders to drop a little, and a deeper breath happens.
A thought drops in: remain present. Take in your surroundings.
And a glorious walk unfolds:
Our Relationship With Nature
I have wanted to write about our relationship with nature for some time. The idea has been with me since March last year, when I attended an eco-retreat that invited a return to myself — a quiet spiritual reconnection with nature and with who we are when the layers of daily life begin to fall away.
With the recent weather events, I had to sit with this more deeply and reflect on how relationships with nature can sometimes become complicated — not unlike human relationships. I stalled for a while. Not a full shutdown, but a quiet form of procrastination.
But here I am. And here it is.
I don’t want to dwell on the adverse weather and the fear that arises for some — perhaps most — of us. Instead, I want to focus on the nurturing, wholesome embrace that Mother Nature, Papatūānuku, offers.
More Than Just Science
Studies consistently show that time in natural environments lowers stress, improves mood, and restores attention. But beyond the science, most of us already know this in our bones.
We live in a time of constant input. Our systems are saturated with information, urgency, and subtle pressure. I know that I spend a lot of my day in my mind — thinking, planning, solving problems, worrying about what might happen next, or whether the kids will be alright.
But emotional health does not only live in the mind.
It also lives in the body.
And one of the simplest ways to reconnect with ourselves is through nature. Nature invites us to slow down, sense, and return to the present moment in a gentle and natural way.
Sometimes We Just Need More Sky
Sometimes we don’t need another strategy.
Sometimes we need more sky. More space. More wind.
The land does not rush us. It does not evaluate us. It does not require us to perform.
When we orient to the natural world, the natural world quietly orients back to us — offering steadiness, rhythm, and perspective.
Perhaps that is the simplest form of therapy available to us. Right outside the door.
The Land as Co-Regulator
In Aotearoa, the land isn’t just scenery. It is presence.
There is something deeply regulating about wide skies. About hills that hold the horizon. About bush that feels ancient and steady. Even about weather that moves through in its own time.
When we orient to the land, we are not “using” it as a tool. We are entering into a living relationship.
The concept of whenua — land as mother, as belonging — reminds us that we are not separate from the earth beneath our feet.
Nature Helps Us Sense Instead of Think
Our nervous systems evolved in nature. Long before phones, emails, and busy schedules, our bodies learned to regulate themselves through rhythms that exist in the natural world.
When we sit near the ocean, walk through trees, or watch clouds moving slowly across the sky, something inside us often begins to settle.
When we feel overwhelmed, we often become trapped in thinking. I know this to be true for me.
Nature gently shifts our attention back into sensing. Just as I noticed the feeling of the breeze on my skin and the warmth of the sunlight, we can focus on the sound of a tūī or a pīwakawaka, the smell of damp earth after rain (so true in Africa!), or the movement of leaves in the wind. These sensory experiences help bring awareness back into the body, allowing us to reconnect with the present moment.
This is the beginning of self-attunement — learning to notice what is happening inside ourselves with curiosity and care.
Nature and Emotional Regulation
Research increasingly supports what many people intuitively experience: spending time in natural environments is linked to improved mood, reduced stress, and greater psychological well-being.
One reason may be that nature creates conditions where emotions can move more freely. The slower pace and sensory richness of natural environments reduce the pressure of constant demands and stimulation. When the nervous system settles, emotions often become easier to notice, feel, and process.
In this way, nature can act almost like a quiet regulating partner, supporting the body's natural capacity to find balance again.
Even Small Moments Matter
Connecting with nature does not require long walks in the wilderness. I often need to remind myself of this, especially after last year’s deep experience. I also know that small moments count and remind myself to:
look at a tree outside a window
pause to notice the sky
feel my feet on the grass
sit near water
tend to a plant
be in awe at a flower
Even brief moments of attention can help the nervous system shift out of stress and into greater ease.
So step outside for a moment. Pause. Let your eyes rest on something in nature. Notice one sensation in your body, without trying to change anything.
Just notice.
Perhaps this is where emotional health often begins — in small moments of reconnection with the world around us.
Let the land hold what you have been carrying.
If not these words, this breath.
If not this breath, this sitting here,
This opening to life
we have refused
again and again
until now.
Until now.
(David Whyte, excerpt from the poem "Enough"
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References:
American Psychological Association. (2025, April 8). Nurtured by nature. Monitor on Psychology, 51(3). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature
Darwish H. Our Environments: Reclaiming Nature in Psychiatric–Mental Health Nursing. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services. 2026;64(1):4-6. doi:10.3928/02793695-20251208-01
Hampejs, V., Wala, A., Tran, U. S., Pahl, S., Egger, J. A. M., Voracek, M., & White, M. P. (2026). Health and well-being in nature: Analysis of 18,054 visit reports and implications for nature-based biopsychosocial resilience theory (NBRT). Journal of Environmental Psychology, 110, Article 102918. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102918
Self-attunement: If you’d like to explore more gentle ways to reconnect with yourself each day, my Daily Attunement course offers simple, guided practices to bring awareness, calm, and presence into even the busiest moments.https://www.emotionalhealth.co.nz/attunement
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