Spending time in nature is often recommended as a way to support mental health. Within research on nature and mental health, environment is understood to influence attention, physiology, and behaviour, yet this is rarely explained in a way that reflects how psychological processes actually work.
Understanding how these elements interact provides a more useful way of thinking about why certain environments feel regulating and others do not.
What the research suggests
A growing body of research has explored the relationship between green space and mental health. Reviews suggest that access to natural environments is associated with improvements across several domains, including stress, mood, and attention (see overview from Beyond Blue and the American Psychological Association).
Across studies, time spent in natural environments is associated with:
- reduced stress and physiological arousal
- improvements in mood
- enhanced attentional capacity
- a greater sense of psychological restoration
Some research suggests that more natural or “wilder” environments may be associated with stronger effects, although findings are mixed and the difference is not consistent.
Access to any form of green space appears to be beneficial, including:
- local parks
- coastal environments
- tree-lined urban areas
- larger natural settings
Physical activity is strongly associated with improvements in mental health, including reductions in stress markers such as cortisol. Research comparing exercise across different environments suggests that while movement is beneficial, the surrounding context may influence how that activity is experienced. Natural environments, in particular, may enhance reductions in stress and support improvements in mood for some individuals.
In this sense, environment does not replace the benefits of movement, but it can shape how those benefits are experienced.
How environment influences the nervous system
Natural environments can influence nervous system activity through several interacting mechanisms. Rather than acting directly on mood, they shape how attention is allocated, how the body responds, and how easily someone can shift out of patterns of sustained arousal.
Attentional processes
Natural environments tend to engage attention in a less effortful way. This can reduce cognitive load and mental fatigue, particularly in contrast to environments that require sustained focus or rapid shifts in attention.
Physiological arousal
Exposure to natural environments has been associated with changes in how the body responds to stress, including reductions in physiological arousal. For some individuals, this can support a shift away from feeling constantly alert or tense toward a more settled and regulated state.
Reduction in rumination
Changes in environment can interrupt repetitive thought patterns. Natural settings may reduce the intensity or persistence of rumination by shifting attention outward and reducing cognitive demand.
Behavioural activation
Natural environments often support movement and engagement. This may include walking, swimming, or other forms of activity, which are independently associated with improvements in mental health and regulation.
Environment as a context for regulation
Natural environments can support nervous system regulation by shaping how attention, physiology, and behaviour interact within a given environment.
Many built environments place sustained demands on the system. Noise, visual complexity, time pressure, and constant task-switching can increase cognitive load and maintain higher levels of physiological arousal. Over time, this can contribute to patterns of tension, vigilance, or fatigue.
In contrast, natural environments often involve fewer competing demands. Attention can broaden, sensory input is typically more coherent, and there is less pressure to respond. For some individuals, this can make it easier to shift out of patterns such as rumination or sustained stress.
In this sense, environment is not incidental. It can shape how easily someone is able to shift out of patterns such as tension, vigilance, or rumination in everyday life.
This can be seen in everyday activities such as walking, cycling, or spending time near water, where both movement and environment interact. Swimming provides a useful example of how these elements can come together to support regulation.
Swimming and water-based environments
Water-based environments, including swimming, provide a useful example of how environment and movement can work together to support regulation.
This may occur through several interacting elements:
Breathing patterns
Swimming often involves slower, more controlled breathing and extended exhalation, which can support a shift toward a more settled and regulated state.
Immersion
Water creates a contained sensory environment and applies gentle, consistent pressure to the body. For some people, this can contribute to a greater sense of physical awareness and support a shift toward a more settled and regulated state.
Rhythmic movement
Swimming involves repetitive, alternating movements that can help stabilise attention and reduce the need for constant mental effort. Similar patterns are also present in activities such as walking, running and cycling, which can support a similar shift in attention. This can make it easier to stay engaged in the activity without becoming caught in internal distractions.
Environmental context
Being in natural water settings can shift attention outward and reduce exposure to fragmented or competing stimuli. Immersion brings attention into contact with continuous sensory input, such as the feel, temperature, and movement of the water, which for some individuals can reduce the pull of internal thoughts or distractions.
For some individuals, the combination of breathing patterns, immersion, and rhythmic movement may support a shift in arousal and a greater sense of regulation. This does not make swimming necessary or superior, but it illustrates how the interaction between environment, movement, and sensory experience can influence how the nervous system responds.
A practical perspective
Rather than focusing on which environment is best, a more useful question is:
Where can this fit into your current life in a way that is consistent and sustainable?
For some people, this may involve:
- walking in a local park
- spending time near water
- incorporating outdoor movement into routine
Consistency tends to be more important than intensity or location.
Clinical context
Within integrative models of therapy, including Personalised Integrative Therapy, environmental factors are considered alongside cognition, behaviour, and physiology.
Time spent in natural environments is one example of how context may support:
- regulation of arousal
- behavioural engagement
- attentional flexibility
In practice, this may be incorporated in different ways depending on the individual. For some people, this may involve engaging with outdoor environments between sessions, such as walking or spending time near water. In other cases, therapy itself may take place in a more natural setting, for example through walk-and-talk sessions.
There is also growing interest in structured approaches such as “forest bathing” (shinrin-yoku), which involve intentional time in natural environments and have been associated with reductions in stress and improvements in wellbeing (see research overview here).
These approaches are not applied uniformly. They are considered as part of a broader formulation, taking into account individual preferences, goals, and context.
More broadly, the role of environment is increasingly recognised across health and mental health care, including approaches that encourage engagement with natural settings as part of supporting wellbeing.
It is not a standalone treatment, but it can be incorporated into a broader therapeutic approach where relevant.
You can read more about this approach here: What is Personalised Integrative Therapy
Closing thoughts
Spending time in nature is not a cure or a requirement. It is one of many factors that can influence how we feel and function.
When understood in context, it becomes less about “getting out into nature” and more about:
- how environments shape attention and arousal
- how behaviour interacts with physiology
- how small shifts in context can support change over time
In this way, change does not rely on a single setting, but on how different elements come together in everyday life.
If you’re interested in exploring how these ideas apply to your own situation, you’re welcome to get in touch.
This article was originally published in July 2018. It has been significantly updated in April 2026.
