Welcome to episode 229, and to the end of the second week of the Great Outdoors Slow Experiment! In today’s episode Brooke and Ben turn their attention to attention - the benefits of outside time for mental performance. There’s loads of research that shows how time spent in nature helps us concentrate more, be more creative, improve our memory and do better in work and study. Brooke highlights that while for her, she doesn’t need any more convincing to spend time outside, this research is pretty powerful when it comes to showing decision and policy makers of the importance of integrating nature into urban, work and educational environments.

Creativity is a theme that comes up, and Brooke says she feels the benefits more in this and problem-solving rather than a more immediate impact on productivity. Ben realises that while he once thought time in nature gave him clarity, he now sees it more as a reset, a time for his brain to rest and heal so he can come back to the clarity that’s already there. This ties into the research about active and passive attention, and the importance of downtime for your brain.

At the end of the episode, Brooke shares a bunch of ideas for those living in urban environments who are finding it challenging to get out in nature. These include things like:

Take your lunch to a park and eat it there
Find a patch of grass and sit on it – take your shoes off and pop your feet on the ground, see what it feels like
Make a date with friends/family and go for a picnic
Drive out of the city one night and look at the stars
Make a date every month and make that your nature day – no phones, just hanging out, outside
Buy a couple of house plants
Looking at images and listening to sounds of nature
Go camping

We’d love to hear your suggestions! If you’re playing along, don’t forget to share how you’re going over on Instagram using the hashtag #slowexperiment, or comment on Facebook. We’d also love to know what you’ve found challenging or easy so far, especially if you’re in an urban environment.

To read more, head over to http://slowyourhome.com/229/ for all the links and resources mentioned, as well as the full blog post.

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