Boost Your Day: Why You Should Step Outside During Work Hours

Many of us spend significant portions of our workdays indoors, under artificial lights. But what if a simple change of location could significantly enhance your well-being and effectiveness?

Spending some of your workday outside, even for short periods, can bring noticeable improvements to your mood, health, and mental sharpness.

Here are some compelling reasons to consider incorporating the outdoors into your professional routine:

• Elevated Spirits and Reduced Apprehension: Being in nature, especially in sunlight and breathing fresh air, can positively influence how you feel. Natural settings have been shown to help decrease feelings of worry. When you're feeling down or overwhelmed, a brief walk or simply sitting outside could brighten your outlook. This can help refresh your attitude before heading back inside. Taking just a few minutes for outdoor activity has been noted to quickly improve confidence and disposition.

• Increased Vitality and Clarity: Outdoor air can provide the 'fuel' needed by your cells to generate energy, assisting you in feeling more concentrated and effective throughout the day. Stepping out can boost your intake of oxygen and offer a break from the quality of indoor air. With better energy levels, tackling demanding assignments becomes easier as your thoughts become clearer.

• Alleviation of Stress: Another advantage of fresh air and sufficient oxygen exposure is its capacity to lower stress. Inhaling outdoor air can help diminish certain hormones associated with stress, promoting a more optimistic and less burdened feeling. If stress builds up and you can't go outside, simply opening a window can help by letting in fresh air. You could also use break times for outdoor relaxation practices like meditation or yoga.

• Rest for Your Vision and Cognition: Productivity and focus can be enhanced by periodically shifting your gaze from your computer screen to distant objects. When you're outside, observing natural elements far away can help your eye muscles relax. This also provides a mental pause from intense focus on your work. The visually engaging aspect of the outdoors can encourage you to take more frequent breaks to look around, which aids in resting your mind and eyes.

• Physical and Mental Wellness Advantages: Spending time outside offers multiple benefits for both your psychological and bodily health. Sunlight helps your body produce vitamin D, which is thought to aid in warding off various ailments. Moving away from your desk chair to work or pause outside can also alleviate back discomfort and other physical pains linked to prolonged sitting.

• Boosted Cognitive Functions: As your body benefits from the invigorating and calming effects of sunlight and fresh air, your cognitive abilities can also improve. Engaging with natural surroundings may enhance your memory, particularly short-term recall. If you need to retain important facts for a presentation, studying them outdoors might increase the likelihood of remembering them. Spending time in nature helps ease mental exhaustion by refreshing the mind, leading to improved work performance and satisfaction. Exposure to natural spaces has been shown to enhance performance on tasks requiring directed attention. Walking outdoors is specifically proven to stimulate creative thoughts, both during and immediately following the walk. Less familiar surroundings outdoors might also spark new ideas.

  
  

Practical Ways to Introduce Outdoor Time

Even if your job primarily keeps you inside, there are numerous opportunities to incorporate moments outdoors during your day.

• Take Your Breaks Outside: Use your lunch period or shorter breaks to get outside. Even a quick walk around the vicinity of your workplace can provide a physical and mental lift. Thinking about challenging projects while walking outdoors might stimulate imagination and problem-solving abilities.

• Work Outdoors When Possible: If your supervisor permits, bring your laptop and other necessary items outside to work. Find a comfortable and productive spot, perhaps in a park with minimal distractions. Ensure your devices are charged to allow you to stay outside for a while. If working from home, setting up patio furniture can create an outdoor workspace similar to an office desk. Some workplaces even offer outdoor areas for employees.

• Conduct Outdoor Meetings or Brainstorming: Since outdoor environments can improve cognitive skills and potentially boost creativity, suggest holding meetings outside when the weather is pleasant. Walking meetings can be particularly effective for brainstorming fresh concepts with colleagues.

• Eat Lunch in an Outdoor Setting: Having your lunch break outside is a great way to revitalize your mind and energy. This is especially helpful if you can't spend other parts of the day working outside. Even 20-30 minutes outdoors during lunch can increase your energy for afternoon tasks and reduce the chance of losing motivation later in the day. Eating on a park bench is a simple way to do this.

• Incorporate Movement, Social Interaction, and Detachment: Breaks are most effective when they involve movement (instead of being stationary), are taken outside (instead of inside), involve detaching from work and devices, and are social (spent with others). Aim for at least two of these elements in each break. For instance, combine walking with a quick chat with a coworker.

• Bring Nature Indoors: If you can't get outside often, adding plants to your office space can provide some exposure to nature. Looking at them can offer a brief visual break. Plants may also help improve air quality, contributing to a feeling of refreshment and productivity. Looking at pictures of nature can also offer some cognitive benefits.

  
  

Making time to be outdoors during your workday isn't just about taking a break; it's an investment in your happiness, focus, and overall performance. Find ways to step outside and experience the difference!