Nature as a natural mood-booster
Being in nature is one of the key ways to beat depression. Why didn’t you know this already? Because it’s a difficult concept for big companies to make money from. Yet it’s always available to us in some form.
When we connect with nature - notice the sights, smells, sounds and feelings around us, it grounds us in the moment. And when we’re in the moment, it gives our minds a break from worrying about the past and the future. This could be an opportunity as large as doing a Great Walk, or as small as inspecting a flower in a pot or in your small garden.
The other thing that nature does, is that it reminds us that we are part of something greater - there is more to the world, to life than just ourselves. We are interconnected in a way that you can only understand when you just stop and listen, hear, touch and smell.
Even if you are having hard days, always remember that action sparks motivation - if you start actually doing something that that matters to you, motivation, or flow states, will carry you through. We live in a place that nature is everywhere - try to live fully in it, paying attention on purpose.
For more on this concept, see:
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature
https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/how-does-nature-impact-our-wellbeing