Many of us are busy, myself included. With a family, dogs, a full time job, and a long commute, it can be hard to find, or shall I say, make the time to get outside. 

As I’ve made it my goal this year to add more outdoor time in my life, I have found little ways to be more intentional with my time in order to get my nature fix for the day. 

These are some simple ways that I have found to connect with nature more regularly during the work week. Sometimes, I am able to do all three, sometimes I only have time or energy for one. 

But no matter how busy or exhausted I am, just taking even 1 to 5 minutes to get outside is enough to help me reset or feel refreshed.

1. Go for a walk

Working in a clinic, seeing patients back to back, and keeping up with charting sometimes means that the work day can bleed into the lunch hour. One of the commitments I started making to myself was to get outside during lunch. 

One of the lunch time activities I have picked up is neighborhood walks. Sometimes, I am able to make it out with coworkers but most of the time I am by myself. I throw on a podcast or listen to an audiobook. If I get out at a reasonable time, I can manage to make it 2 miles before needing to start my afternoon clinic. 

If a walk is not feasible during your work day, make time for it in the morning or afternoon. 

I know that this is easier said than done when both time is limited and energy is limited. I see it in myself and I see it in my patients. It is so so easy for our minds and our bodies to say, I’m tired… or I have this other thing to do… or some other excuse. 

But start small. Walk to the end of the block and build up from there. 

Going for a walk has absolutely done wonders for my mood! I am away from the enclosed walls of the clinic and instead can take a moment to appreciate the blue sky, gather landscaping ideas from the front yards of homes that I walk by, and breathe in some fresh air. 

2. Tend to your plants

If you are like me and are a plant parent or gardener, then taking time to care for them or simply observe them is important to make sure that they are thriving. Or to realize whether a plant is dying and needs just a little extra help. 

I usually get this done at the same time that I let the dogs out in the morning or after work. This is when I do my walk around the garden to see what’s growing, what looks healthy, what needs water, what needs extra help. 

As a beginner gardener, the garden walk-arounds are important especially in vegetable gardening in order to see what’s ready to harvest as well as what pests are starting to show. 

My indoor plant parenting skills are still a work in progress. But looking at the leaves, touching the soil, or running my hand through the foliage is enough of a sensory input that reconnects me with nature. Even the process of watering house plants, focusing on a simple task, is enough to slow things down and encourage mindfulness.

3. Sit in silence

When my morning clinic does run into my lunch break too much so that a walk is not feasible or if I have other lunchtime meetings, I at least aim to just sit outside. 

I have been more intentional lately about having moments of silence throughout my day. 

That means no phone, no browsing through social media, no listening to audio books, no working on charts. No distractions. Just silence. Sometimes, with how busy our world can be, silence is so rare but sometimes really what we all need. 

This is the easiest of the three to do. The only effort it requires is to step out the door or even easier, look out the window. 

There you have it, 3 simple ways to connect to nature each day. Whether it is 1 minute, 10 minutes, or 1 hour, every bit counts and your soul will thank you for it.

Do you have any daily nature rituals?