Benefits of Outdoor Activities for Mental Health

Being outdoors is good for your mental health – it improves your mood, reduces stress and boosts your overall wellbeing. Taking part in physical activities in the outdoors can only be beneficial, making The Jungle the ideal destination for anyone wanting to improve upon their mental health.

Spending time in the outdoors can help to alleviate the symptoms of depression and anxiety, it often allows us space to forget about our worries and refocus our attention. Being exposed to sunlight (even our Irish levels) and fresh air can boost your mood significantly and increase your serotonin (happy) levels. Being outdoors can also provide us with a sense of calm and tranquility, in turn helping to reduce stress levels.

Spending time in nature has also been shown to improve cognitive function and attention span – natural environments provide a restorative environment that can help to reduce mental overload and improve cognitive performance. When it comes to children, outdoor activities can be even more beneficial in terms of mental health. Spending time outdoors is not only good for a child’s cognitive development, it can also improve their social skills by playing with others in an outdoor setting. Engaging in physical activity and spending time in nature can help children to develop important problem-solving and communication skills, as well as a sense of independence and self-reliance. Our own Forest School is one such activity that promotes a child’s sense of wellbeing. The Forest School offers children the opportunity to learn in a natural environment, improve cognitive development and enhance social skills.

We’re big into Team Building at The Jungle, the benefits of which are perhaps overlooked when discussions around outdoor activities for mental health take place. In addition to improving morale and fostering stronger relationships between colleagues, Team Building can boost self confidence and self esteem which are huge factors in our own mental health.

We offer a number of activities which can benefit your mental health. For instance, taking on your fear of heights on our Tree Top Course can boost feelings of self-confidence and self-worth. Spending time taking a leisurely walk with a llama in our serene landscape is good for the soul and can provide real feelings of tranquility.

At Splash, our sister company, there are regular breathing workshops, open water swimming and paddleboarding which can all make genuine claims to be hugely beneficial for your mental health.

Spending time in nature has also been shown to improve cognitive function and attention span – natural environments provide a restorative environment that can help to reduce mental overload and improve cognitive performance. When it comes to children, outdoor activities can be even more beneficial in terms of mental health. Spending time outdoors is not only good for a child’s cognitive development, it can also improve their social skills by playing with others in an outdoor setting. Engaging in physical activity and spending time in nature can help children to develop important problem-solving and communication skills, as well as a sense of independence and self-reliance. Our own Forest School is one such activity that promotes a child’s sense of wellbeing. The Forest School offers children the opportunity to learn in a natural environment, improve cognitive development and enhance social skills.

Outdoor activities can be extremely beneficial for our mental health. We can offer a wide and varied list of activities which can help with the reduction of stress, the improvement of mood and our overall wellbeing. Spending time in nature and engaging in physical activity can have a powerful impact on mental health and The Jungle is the perfect destination for anyone seeking those benefits.