Challenges
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Quick Win
Photographing nature’s many patterns may help you reduce stress and feel happier.
Try This Today
- Grab your camera or smartphone and head outdoors. Your yard, a park or a nature center are all great options.
- Pay close attention to one aspect of nature. Zoom in on the petals of a flower or the pattern on a tree trunk.
- Go from large to small. For example, shoot a field of wildflowers, then zoom in to a single flower, or a forest to a tree’s trunk. Notice the differences.
Why
Being absorbed in a task, like zooming in on flowers, is known as “flow.” It may help people feel happier, motivated and energized, according to a 2021 review of research in Frontiers in Psychology. And time in nature has been linked to lower stress and anxiety. the Global Council on Brain Health, in its 2018 report “Brain Health and Mental Well-Being,” recommends people spend time outdoors to “regularly appreciate and enjoy nature.”
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