How are you finding the shortening days? As we enter September, there’s no denying the hours of daylight are shrinking. After a drier, warmer summer than normal, you may have enjoyed spending more time outside in recent months.
The cool air and shorter evenings can provide an excuse to be inside more. But what could you gain from continuing to spend more time outdoors in the months ahead?
Generally, I’ve noticed amongst the clients in my counselling practice that those who spend time outdoors more frequently tend to present with a brighter mood. I also notice how those who are regularly outdoor walkers or exercisers are less prone to big highs and lows.
What this looks like with clients
I work with a lot of clients who suffer from anxiety and low mood. The intensity of either can cause people to lose touch with what can make them feel good. Working together, we discover small things they can weave into their daily lives to help them feel more themselves.
Getting outdoors is quite commonly something we discuss. This may be as a way to have a break from their desk if they’re working at home. It could be a regular walk with a friend or reconnecting to a hobby or sport they used to enjoy. For some, especially when stress is high and life is difficult, just having a coffee break in the garden is an achievement.
What I notice on most occasions is how valuable this time can be in terms of the client moving forwards. It doesn’t need to be a daily event. Just a little more fresh air and a regular change of scenery.
Backed up by science
Time outdoors has been shown to ease anxiety, sharpen our attention and bring a sense of mental clarity that’s harder to find indoors. It’s not just about mood, it’s about how clearly we’re able to think and how settled our nervous system feels.
The benefits of spending time outdoors are widespread and not confined to being in the wild in countryside or at the coast.
A 2025 review of 78 studies, involving almost 6,000 people, found the benefits of being outdoors held up in cities as strongly as anywhere else¹. Meanwhile, research by the Mental Health Foundation encourages us to tune into everyday nature close to home². For example, I’m always amazed by how close you always are to trees even in the centre of very built-up urban areas if you choose to look for them.
Professor Miles Richardson, who researches nature connectedness at the University of Derby, has found that actively noticing what’s around you matters more for wellbeing than simply being near nature for longer³. His studies stemmed from his own notes about what he noticed on daily walks from his desk job. By observing what he saw on his walk including things like a bird, the quality of the light, the smell of the air, he amassed tens of thousands of words and changed his relationship with nature entirely.
Studies have shown that just twenty minutes is enough to feel the benefits, especially when done on a regular basis. That could be a short lap around the block at lunchtime, noticing more of what’s around you on a walk to the shops or a coffee break outside rather than at your desk.
A human need for movement
I did a lot of research into outdoor activities and connection to nature for my dissertation for MSc Psychology. What was overwhelming was that it didn’t matter what activity you were doing outdoors and where. Whether it was in, on, or next to nature, in urban settings, green or blue spaces, it could all have a positive impact on your wellbeing.
The other thing that my research constantly reminded me was that this makes perfect sense. As humans, we evolved in nature. It’s only in relatively recent history that we have spent as much time indoors and had more sedentary lives.
Being outdoors is being human.
Circadian rhythms
I’ve written here before about circadian rhythms and the value of connecting our body’s internal clock to the changes to light across the seasons. Artificial light, computer screens and other elements of everyday life can throw our circadian rhythms out of synch. Being outdoors can really help to regulate this, especially in the mornings.
What this could look like for you
It’s early September and there’s still plenty of time to make the most of the daylight before the autumn sets in.
The research is consistent. Whether it’s a city street, a garden or a coastal path, time spent outdoors, especially when you’re present in what you’re doing, has a range of benefits for your mood and health.
Once the darker months properly set in, being outdoors becomes harder to keep up.
A short walk at lunchtime, a coffee outside rather than at your desk, a moment noticing the trees on your street, all these little things count.
What do you enjoy doing outdoors that could mean you get more time outside this autumn?
1 Li, Y., Mao, Y., Mandle, L., Anders Rydström, Remme, R. P., Lan, X., Wu, T., Song, C., Lu, Y., Nadeau, K. C., Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Daily, G. C., & Guerry, A. D. (2025). Acute mental health benefits of urban nature. Nature Cities. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-025-00286-y
2 Mental Health Foundation. (2025). Nature: How connecting with nature benefits our mental health. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/research/nature-how-connecting-nature-benefits-our-mental-health [Accessed 28/09/2026]
3 University of Derby. Professor Miles Richardson reviews Mental Health and Nature. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/research/nature-how-connecting-nature-benefits-our-mental-health/professor-miles-richardson [Accessed 28/09/2026]
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