564 - The Mental Health Effects of Going Outside

Tiny Leaps, Big Changes

Gregg Clunis

Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.3 • 920 Ratings

🗓️ 16 July 2020

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, we look at the mental health benefits of getting outside more often.

Buy The Consistency Code: http://consistencycourse.com

What to do if you're having mental health issues

Try getting outside

Spending time outdoors improves mood by

Interrupting the negativity loop in the brain
Sights and sounds of outdoors is soothing “It's not clear exactly why outdoor excursions have such a positive mental effect. Yet, in a 2015 study, researchers compared the brain activity of healthy people after they walked for 90 minutes in either a natural setting or an urban one. They found that those who did a nature walk had lower activity in the prefrontal cortex, a brain region that is active during rumination — defined as repetitive thoughts that focus on negative emotions. “When people are depressed or under high levels of stress, this part of the brain malfunctions, and people experience a continuous loop of negative thoughts," says Dr. Strauss.” - https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/sour-mood-getting-you-down-get-back-to-nature
Promotes movement and physical health

Ways to get more time outside:

Schedule 20-30 minutes a few times a week
Look for nature in local settings – Find trails and parks near by
Ask a friend along – going with others is just as beneficial

Resources:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/sour-mood-getting-you-down-get-back-to-nature

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	In this is tiny leaps, we're going to talk about the mental health effects of going outside.
0:07.0	Get excited because this is tiny leaps.
0:12.0	Big change. Welcome to another episode of Tiny Leaps Big Changes where I share simple strategies you can use to get more out of your life.
0:37.0	My name is Greg Klunis and in this episode we are talking about going outside.
0:42.8	Now, I don't know about you, but I always feel better
0:47.2	when I'm able to get outside at some point during the day.
0:51.2	Something about being out in nature, being in a space that isn't so enclosed,
0:57.6	maybe isn't so stuffy as the house can sometimes get. Something about it just helps lift my spirits especially when I've
1:06.1	had a day that has just been sort of frustrating all day long so I decided I
1:11.3	wanted to dive deeper into why that happens, like what is actually going on that makes being outside so good for our mental health.
1:21.0	So this is going to be a super interesting episode to dive into. Now before we jump
1:26.6	into it, I do want to let you know that if you've been struggling to be more consistent in your day
1:31.6	to day behavior, if you've been setting goals and just never
1:35.0	being able to accomplish them.
1:36.7	I have something that might be able to help.
1:40.4	I've gone through this exact thing myself time and time again and I've come to realize in the last five years of hosting this show that there is one main reason why people do not achieve the goals that they set.
1:52.9	And inside my new course, the consistency code,
1:56.0	I'm going to teach you exactly what that reason is
1:59.0	and what you can do about it.
2:01.3	Throughout the course, we discuss why we all struggle with consistency, the two key processes that lead to habit formation, why starting small might be the key to success, why smart goals may not work for you, and the little known goal setting
2:14.8	method you should use instead, how to break down your goals into their key behaviors,
2:20.3	how to identify points of failure before they become a problem and so much more.
	...

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