The Quiet Nurture of Nature

This piece was written in the afterglow of a visit to one of the Gulf Islands (Canada) in the Pacific Northwest.

The Quiet Nurture of Nature: How Awe Restores Mind, Body, and Spirit

In a world that relentlessly asks us to move faster, improve productivity and efficiency, nature invites us to slow down. A tree-topped view, a few quiet minutes on a park bench, the pattern of clouds after rain, or the sound of birdsong outside a window can shift our mood and perspective. Reflected anecdotally and in research, time in nature has been linked to better mental health, attention, lower stress, improved sleep, and a deeper sense of interconnectedness. But nature offers something even more subtle and powerful: awe.

Awe is the feeling we experience when we encounter something larger than ourselves. It may appear in the vastness of a mountain range or an ocean horizon, but it can also appear in ordinary moments: a spider web catching morning light, the symmetry of a leaf, or the stillness of a quiet, familiar view. When we notice these moments, nature becomes more than scenery; it becomes a source of restoration.

Nature Calms the Mind

One of the benefits of spending time surrounded by nature (both outdoors and indoors) is how it helps settle the nervous system. Natural environments are known to reduce stress, anxiety, and mental fatigue by giving the mind a gentler kind of attention. Instead of the sharp focus required by screens and devices, deadlines, and constant decision-making, nature offers what researchers describe as “soft fascination”: the effortless attention we give to moving water, rustling leaves, shifting light, or birdsong. This attention relies on our senses, often several of them at a time.

Even brief contact with green space can help. A short walk, a few minutes of fresh air, or simply sitting outside at an urban cafe can lower our sense of internal pressure and make room for calm.  This happens both in solitude and in sharing nature with others. These small pauses can support emotional resilience, especially when daily life feels crowded or overstimulating. I believe there is both an immediate reward and a cumulative effect over time.

Nature Restores Focus and Creativity

When attention is worn thin, nature can help replenish it. Time outdoors gives the brain a chance to recover from the constant demands of modern life. That restoration can improve concentration, support problem-solving, and make creative thinking easier.

One reason outdoor learning and nature-rich environments can be so valuable is that they invite curiosity, wonder and sensory engagement. Nature does not rush us toward an answer; it opens our attention and gives imagination room to breathe. Creative pursuits, in themselves, are awe-inspiring, but when done in nature or surrounded by it, they reach a whole new level! Think reading at the beach, painting in the forest, or even listening to music on an outdoor balcony.

Nature Supports the Body

The benefits of nature are not only psychological. Being outdoors can encourage movement, expose us to natural light (vitamin D!), and support healthier daily rhythms. Walking through a park, gardening, hiking, or simply spending time in daylight near a window can help you feel and look better (post-vacation glow, anyone?).

Natural light helps regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, which can improve sleep quality and daytime alertness. Green spaces also make physical activity feel less like a task and more like a natural part of the day. Nature has a way of making activity feel integrated, unlike running on the proverbial ‘treadmill’ of life or at the gym. When movement (notice I didn’t use the word ‘exercise’) is paired with beauty, fresh air, and curiosity, it somehow feels more natural and humane!

How to Cultivate Awe in Everyday Life

Awe is not something we have to wait for. It can be practiced. Begin with an “awe outing”: take a slow walk with no particular destination in mind and let your senses lead. Notice texture, colour, sound, movement, temperature, and light. Ask yourself, “What if I had never seen this before?” or “What if I knew I would never see it again?” These questions turn ordinary perception into reverence.

Another practice is simply to behold. Sit with a tree, a stone, a flower, a window view, or the sky without needing to evaluate it. Let it be exactly what it is. This kind of attention and absence of judgement creates silence inside us, making it easier to sense the depth of the world beneath the noise of the day.

You can also experiment with keeping a brief awe journal. In the moment, or at the end of the day, write down one moment that made you pause. Describe what you saw, heard, smelled, touched, or felt. Over time, this simple habit trains the mind to notice wonder more readily and with less resistance.

The Extraordinary Is Often Ordinary

We often imagine awe as something dramatic: a national park, a vast ocean, a once-in-a-lifetime, bucket-list trip. But wonder lives more closely in the small and familiar. Children know this instinctively. They see worlds inside puddles, shells, and shadows. Adults can recover that way of seeing with the practice of looking at nature with a ‘beginner’s mind’.

To build this into daily life, make awe realistic and accessible. Schedule a 15-minute nature break. Choose a regular “sit spot” outdoors. Take one walk or drive each week to a cherished or new destination. Keep a small album of images that remind you of beauty. The rituals themselves do not need to be grand; they only need to be intentional!

Creating Your Own Practice:

• Cultivate Silence: Silence is the foundation of interior life. It is where you can distinguish essential knowledge from the day’s routine. Dedicate time to simply “fall silent” to perceive the invisible spirit behind the visible world.

• ‘Awe Journaling’: Set aside time to write about moments where/when you felt awe. Describe the experience using all your senses. What did you see, hear, smell, or touch? Reading these back allows the feeling to sink in.

• Seek Patterns: Children naturally find wonder in patterns (like the spirals of a pinecone). Actively notice configurations in nature, such as a flock of birds, to spark that same curiosity.

• Revere Your Own and Others’ Existence: By recognizing the unique “absolute quality” in others, you foster reverence. When you credit people with having more “being” than meets the eye (not just “doing”!), you help that goodness develop.

• Cultivate “Beginner’s Mind”: Approach familiar daily activities with curiosity. When life feels dull, pause and intentionally look for the bright colours of the world, even amidst the inevitable and existential melancholy of being finite in an infinite world.

• Schedule It: If nature and awe are relegated to “when I have time,” they will be neglected. Schedule a 15-minute nature break or meditation as intentionally as you would a work meeting.

• Unplug to Reconnect: Our screens move fast, but nature does not. Unplugging helps you re-enter the present moment and notice things previously hidden by technology’s distraction.

• Capture the Moments: Maintain an album of photos that bring you joy or awe. Reviewing these images acts as a reminder that awe is always available to you.

On the Path…

The path to wonder is not always pristine. Sometimes it is wet, cold, muddy, quiet, inconvenient, or tinged with melancholy. But that, too, is part of its gift. Awe reminds us that we are finite beings living within a world larger, stranger, and more beautiful than we can fully grasp. Like nature itself, we are both finite and timeless.

Nature restores us not by removing us from life, but by returning us to it. It invites us to breathe, notice, belong, and remember that wonder is never very far away at all.

What is your favourite ‘nurtured by nature’ moment?