⛰️ 🏞️ How Nature Makes You Happier, Healthier and More Creative.

Welcome back to Hugo’s Habits 🧠 

Happy Sunday.

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In today’s issue:

• How nature lifts your mood and reduces stress.

• Why nature inspires creativity.

• Building an outdoor habit (no matter the weather!)

• and more…

(Estimated read time: 3 minutes)

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Best Links This Week ⚡️ 

Here are the best articles and information I found this week while researching. Some cool shit down there 👇️ 

🔍️ 🧠 How the Brain Works

The basics of neurobiology (link)

The science of Habits (link)

How the brain changes with learning (link)

How a walk in nature impacts the brain (link)

📋️ Practical Tips and Strategies (Nature Edition 🏞️ )

The top 8 hiking trails in Northern Ireland (link)

Best areas of natural beauty in Northern Ireland (link)

How to build a habit of getting outside (link)

🔬 Updates from Research

AI helps to explain human memory and imagination (link)

Exercise boosts motor learning and memory (link)

World's Largest Childhood Trauma Study Uncovers Brain Rewiring (link)

Did Dementia Exist in Ancient Greece and Rome? (link)

Let Mother Nature Take the Stress Away

When we step into a natural setting, a series of neurological reactions unfolds, leading to significant mental health benefits.

Research in the field of ecotherapy has shown that exposure to nature decreases activity in the prefrontal cortex, the brain region active during rumination — when we focus on our worries and woes.

This shift is accompanied by a reduction in levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, fostering a sense of calm and reducing anxiety.

Creativity Through Natural Connection

The outdoors also serves as a vast canvas that sparks creativity.

Nature's complex, sensory-rich environment demands subtle attention, engaging the brain in a gentle, restorative way.

This "soft fascination" allows for reflection and daydreaming, states that are crucial for creative thought and problem-solving.

Neuroscientific studies suggest that spending time in nature can enhance cognitive flexibility, making it easier for us to generate novel ideas and think outside the box.

The brain enters a more relaxed state, facilitating connections between seemingly unrelated concepts — which is creativity at its purest.

Strategies for Building an All-Weather Outdoor Habit

Understanding the profound benefits of outdoor exposure, backed by neuroscience, can motivate us to overcome these hurdles.

Here's how you can build a resilient outdoor habit, rain or shine.

1. Start Small, Stay Consistent: Begin with short, manageable outdoor activities that fit easily into your daily schedule. Even a five-minute walk or a brief stint in your garden counts. The key is consistency, not duration.

2. Dress for Success: The right gear can make all the difference. Invest in weather-appropriate clothing that will keep you comfortable, whether it's waterproof attire for rainy days or breathable fabrics for the heat.

3. Embrace the Elements: Rather than viewing bad weather as a deterrent, see it as a unique sensory experience. The sound of rain, the freshness of the air post-storm, and the quiet of a snowy day can all enhance your connection with nature.

Using Nature to Repair Broken Attention Spans

A new study examines children in daycare centers in Norway to understand the effect of between one and nine hours of outdoor time per day on children’s health and development.

In a longitudinal study of 562 children between the ages of one and 6.5 years old, the team analyzed indicators of cognitive and behavioral functioning such as inattention symptoms, hyperactivity symptoms, and digit span, which measures executive functions like attention and short-term memory.

The results of the study show that as daily outdoor hours increased, inattention-hyperactivity symptoms decreased.

We can use the results of this study and apply them to our own lives.

I know, from personal experience, that attention spans can be frazzled nowadays from things like TikTok, Instagram reels, etc.

Just take some time to get outside, and focus on where you are at that moment, even for a few minutes.

This will slowly let us escape the constant pull of the quick dopamine hits on the phone.

It’s Sunday, take a nice walk.

That’s all for this week!

Any questions?

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This newsletter is designed for you to introduce habits to allow every reader to be the happiest, healthiest, and wealthiest version of themselves!

See you next week,

Hugo