Outdoor Activities for Physical and Mental Health
I have learned from personal experience that the best way to support your mental health and wellbeing is to do any outdoor activity that involves focussing on any form of physical movement in the real world. It doesn’t have to be physically demanding, so long as the activity uses your mind to move your body and interact with the physical world. It could be physical exercise, gardening, making something, photography, camping, or spending time sharing outdoor experiences with people you love being with.
The different types of outdoor activities in the list below help to break that cycle of spending too much time thinking and dwelling on things without moving your body or interacting with the physical world. The best outdoor activities I have found for boosting your mental health and releasing the tension from living in the modern world are making or repairing things, dancing, gardening, mountain biking, or learning any new skills that requires moving your body in a specific way to interact with reality. These outdoor activities force your mind to focus on the here and now, and free your mind from those freewheeling thoughts that just lock you into a state of perpetual anxiety. Before you know it you will find yourself totally absorbed in the outdoor activities you are doing and find that sense of calm and wellbeing you have been seeking. But you need to find the right activity for you.
The outdoor recreational activities list will provide you with inspiration for things to do outdoors whether you are on your own, in a group, with your teens, friends or family. If I have missed anything out, get in touch on the Active Outdoors Facebook page.