How a Natural Study Break Boosts Well-Being

In this article, we discuss the benefits of incorporating a little time with nature into your study schedule.

We all know that taking breaks enhances concentration and information retention and that short, regular breathers in particular help keep you focused on the broader picture. Indeed, we’ve previously mentioned the Tomato Timer technique, involving 25-minute bursts of concerted effort followed by a five or 10-minute pause.

So it’s widely accepted that factoring in proper, quality resting time will enhance productivity, creativity, and health, while making it easier to take decisions.

Yet while appreciating their importance, you may not have given too much thought to where you take your breaks. You may have chosen to spend them inside, perhaps surfing the internet or flicking the TV on, tackling the odd domestic chore or emailing a friend –  none of which is particularly relaxing…

Genuinely, you do need to get out more – by which, we mean outside in natural surroundings. Of course, not everyone is fortunate enough to live in rolling green countryside or by a dramatic coastline. But just getting out to enjoy a local park, woodland, or stretch of water could make a real difference.

(Crucially, while doing this you should try to avoid looking at your mobile devices unless it’s absolutely essential.)

Here are some of the benefits you can look forward to:

Get those endorphins pumping

Even just walking at a moderate pace encourages the production of endorphins, the ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitters in your brain. You will soon feel calmer and happier, and your head should clear.

At the same time, all that fresh air will help you regulate levels of serotonin, a different neurotransmitter affecting mood and memory among other things, while also doing good things for your blood pressure and heart rate.

Breathing is your body’s natural, built-in stress buster, so work with it by getting outdoors and taking some deep, slow breaths.

Let there be natural light

The benefits of natural light have been well documented. Get enough of it and you will aid regulation of your body’s production of melatonin, which controls its internal clock. You’re likely to get a better night’s sleep after spending time outside, too, which in turn will help you to concentrate.

You’ll also get more Vitamin D, which again elevates mood while offering various other physical health benefits, including calcium absorption.

Feel your creativity soar!

One study followed nearly 60 participants in a four-day hiking trip. Half took a creativity test before setting off, the others immediately afterward. Those who had just completed the four-day trek scored 50% higher than those who took the test before the hike.

Good for the brain

Scientists consistently stress that time spent outside helps boost essential blood flow to the brain. And because you’ve switched off from your studies, if only temporarily, it’s thought that at the same time you will be restoring your prefrontal brain circuits, associated with higher-level thinking.

So a brisk walk in, say, a local woodland could leave you feeling much better placed to tackle that tricky assignment or Everest-esque stack of revision.

Pay attention

If you’ve been studying particularly hard, you will eventually reach a point where you can no longer focus. One study – published in Mind magazine – revealed that time spent in natural surroundings can seriously improve our capacity for paying attention.

You should also find that getting out there gives you the neurological responses needed to retain fresh information for longer.

When it comes to harnessing the power of nature to help you study, you even have a choice.  You could have a complete rest and return feeling more refreshed than you would have done had you just stayed home, with your brain cells newly recharged. Or you could consider taking some work to read outside on a park bench or lying on a rug in the garden while you’re outside.

Either way, make stepping outdoors a regular part of your routine. It will do more for you than you perhaps realise.