Why Nature Helps Mindset and Wellbeing
Life gets noisy.
Work, phones, worries, pressure. Sometimes it feels like everything is pulling at you at once. And when that happens, you don’t always need a big adventure or a long hike.
Sometimes you just need fresh air, quiet space, and a few minutes away from everything.
For us, discovering how much nature helped our mindset changed everything.
Outdoor Exploring Family began when we realised that slowing down outdoors made us feel calmer, lighter, and more
connected. Over time, that simple truth became the heart of everything we do, and eventually led to Discover Teesdale.
We truly believe even a short time outside can help. Not perfectly. Not magically. But meaningfully.
Why being outdoors really does help
You don’t need complicated science to understand this.
Your body is wired to respond to natural spaces.
Fresh air helps slow your breathing.
Natural light supports your mood.
Gentle movement releases feel good chemicals in your brain.
Quiet surroundings give your thoughts space to settle.
When you walk slowly, notice what’s around you, and step away from screens for a while, your nervous system starts to
calm. Stress levels drop. Your mind feels less crowded.
Nature gives you permission to pause.
And that matters more than most of us realise.
It doesn’t have to be big
This is the part people often get wrong.
You don’t need hours.
You don’t need special gear.
You don’t need to chase miles or summits.
Sometimes it’s:
A gentle walk through Deepdale Woods.
A quiet wander around the grounds of The Bowes Museum.
A short visit to Egglestone Abbey.
A peaceful moment beside one of the waterfalls scattered across Teesdale.
None of these need to be long or dramatic.
Even ten minutes outdoors, close to home, can lift your mood.
That’s something we’ve experienced again and again.
Simple ways to use nature for a better mindset
Here are a few gentle things we’ve learned along the way. You don’t need to do all of them. Just try one.
• Leave your phone in your pocket for a few minutes
• Walk slower than usual
• Notice one sound, one smell, and one small detail
• Sit on a bench or stone wall and just breathe
• Let your thoughts come and go without trying to fix them
• Look for tiny things: moss on walls, water movement, birdsong, changing light
These small moments add up.
They help bring you back into your body and out of your head.
Why we build Discover Teesdale this way
This is why Discover Teesdale exists.
Not just to share places, but to help people slow down and reconnect.
We explore locally, revisit spots in different seasons, and show places as they really are. Foggy days included. Quiet
afternoons included. We don’t chase dramatic conditions or perfect light.
What you see is what we experienced.
We believe nature doesn’t need filters or hype. It just needs space to be felt.
Everything we create is guided by that same idea: helping people find calm through simple outdoor moments.
A gentle reminder
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, tired, anxious, or just flat, try stepping outside.
Not to achieve anything. Not to tick boxes.
Just to be.
Nature won’t fix everything. But it can soften the edges. It can give your mind room to breathe. And sometimes, that’s
exactly what’s needed.
And if you walk in nature for a better mindset, then you’re already part of the Outdoor Exploring Family.
It’s more than just a walk.
