Being Outside

[Rosyrain]

I find that being outside doing work around my yard helps out with my anxiety a lot. I seems to forget all of the problems and worries in my life when I am outside doing something as simple as moving dirt. Nature has calming effects that you will not get with any sort of medication. Does nature make your anxiety subside?

 

[Concernedgal]

It actually intensifies mine. The sun being in my eyes is an anxiety trigger for some reason. My brain is all messed up. Things that should make my life better and make me feel better doesnt. And it totally sucks. I wish I could enjoy life again

 

[janemariesayed]

when I take my dogs for their morning walk, I find that it is the best time of day. It always makes me feel better. The problem is I have agoraphobia and the morning is the only time I can really take them out. When not so many people are out and about. We have found some beautiful walks and it always lifts my spirits. Until we get home then I realise that my life is like being under house arrest for the rest of the day.

 

[pwarbi]

It was recently reported here in the UK, that gardening is the best thing that a person can do to relieve stress. The report said (for what it's worth), that while keeping active has always been one of the best things to do when combating depression and mental illness, actually keeping active by gardening and looking after nature is better for you than going to the gym or any other form of normal exercise that's been recommended in the past.

I have to admit that I'm not really much of a gardener and I just see it as a chore that I have to do a few times a year, but I can see the point they are trying to make. If you are feeling don, go and do a bit of gardening and you will feel like a changed person after it...apparently. Well it's certainly worth a try isn't it?

 

[Rosyrain]

I find gardening to be a blessing and a curse. I just got done with a huge weeding and soul tilling project that had my nerves on edge because of the back breaking work involved. I finally got to the point where I was ready to start planting, and this lifted my spirit a ton. It was such a relief for my anxiety as well. I now take joy in walking out to the garden each day and seeing how my plants have grown from the day before.

 

[Robert Turner]

My wife suffers from occasional anxiety and must as a matter of course get her quiet time outside.

She has few spots she prefers and I have noticed these tend to be under large trees or near the water. She says it recharges her battery and allows her to find a little peace.

If she is denied this for work or other reasons then I notice an immediate increase in her anxiety attacks. So yes, being outside in nature is definitely theraputic.

 

[Concernedgal]

Hi Robert . Let me ask you something? Do you suffer from anxiety and depression or does your wife? Or do your both?

 

[Robert Turner]

My wife suffers from moderate anxiety. I used to have full blown bouts of depression that were crippling but I am happy to say that I have not experienced any for the last six years.

I dont think of myself as cured. I do not think I had anything wrong with me start off with, other than being self obsessed with my own feelings. I now live each moment at a time andI make a concious effort to notice others and the beauty around me.

It keeps me grateful for the life that I have and the love I am lucky enough to experience.

 

[Natasha0717]

Yes, as long as it's a cloudy day. There's something about the sun that makes me nervous, not quite sure what it is about the sun shining down so hot, but when it's cool (maybe 60-70 degrees F) and <more importantly> cloudy, I love to be outside. It is a great escape. There's this lilac tree I like to walk to down the street, it's exactly .04 miles from my house (I wore a pedometer once to check out the exact distance) and that's my favorite destination. But I won't go at night anymore. THAT was a mistake. I spooked myself and almost had to run home. My awful mind only did that because it knew I was kind of far away and I was totally convinced somebody was following me. Nobody was.

 

[Alex]

I think that being outside can help, but not with lots of people around. I prefer to go out when it's quiet, either very early or later in the evening. At times I would rather not interact with people, and often take a longer route that will be quieter.

I also wear sunglasses whatever the weather to avoid eye contact, but this is when I am alone. When I am with others out I am very different. Nature can be calming, but these days trying to find places that aren't crowded isn't easy, for example the parks can be so busy it isn't relaxing especially when people do boot camps there.

I used to live near a beach and it was a quiet cove and it was perfect, but still I would go when people were less likely to be around.

 

[Concernedgal]

I so get the sun glass thing. Except in my case it's because light of any kind sometimes cause pretty bad sensitivity. My doctor says that could be due to the depression part of my bipolar ( 1 of many "diagnosis" they have for me. Geez. Give me a diagnosis already. . Do you think it could be multiple things wrong with me because every doctor i've seen ... has had a different diagnosis. What do you think ?

 

[Jonathan Maxwell]

Hello! I have written about anxiety, and whether or not being outside helps really depends on what the triggers are for that individual. There are some people who suffer from agoraphobia and would prefer not to be outside. I am glad you found something that helps you.

Take care,
Jonathan