You probably know that spending more time outdoors has a positive impact on mental health, but, if you’re anything like me, you might be struggling to make getting outside a priority. Well, Imago is hoping to counteract that struggle with our latest sustainability theme: Nature Rx. During this theme, Imago will provide resources and ideas to motivate us all to spend more time outdoors. Not only will spending time outside hopefully make us feel a little better, it will likely strengthen our environmental ethic, making us better stewards for the earth that does so much for us. 

According to the International Journal of Environmental Health Research, “spending just 20 minutes in a park — even if you don’t exercise while you’re there — is enough to improve well-being.” With that in mind, the main goal of Nature Rx is to get more people to incorporate getting outside into their daily routine. This does not mean that you have to find time for an intense hike or to do a 15 minute outdoor meditation everyday. Those things work super well for some people, but others might find those activities to be really outside of their comfort zone. There are so many ways we can get benefits from nature. Yes, you can meditate in the woods, but you can also take a walk around your neighborhood or have a picnic in the park. 

Nature Rx will urge you to explore different ways that you can easily add connecting with the outdoors to your daily routine. In September, we’ll focus on stress relief, in October we’ll focus on noticing nature, and in November we’ll wrap-up our theme by focusing on movement.

Want to learn more? We already have a list of some articles and resources on our Nature Rx homepage, and you can also sign up for our Nature Rx Challenge that begins September 1 if you’re interested in daily prompts and weekly goals.