Ah concrete jungle life, where the closest we come to greenery is our morning matcha latte. City life is amazing, but it doesn’t mean we can’t get our nature fix just like those blessed enough to live in the countryside.
Having a little trouble falling in love with nature? These baby steps should wean you in…
Get some house plants
If (like me) you don’t even know where to start when it comes to immersing yourself in nature, houseplants are a good first step. Deck your room out with super cute cacti, and even name them to remind yourself that plants are living beings that need nourishment and love on the daily, just like you. Plants are also air-purifying, so if you’re tired of inhaling bus fumes all day (Londoners, wya?) they’re a good way to get your nature fix in-between trips out of the city.
Take regular day trips
In between venturing abroad for your nature fix, take regular day trips outside of your city. Heading to the nearest farm, seaside town or even field will give you the break from city life you need without any flying involved. Round up the crew and make it your mission to discover a new nature spot outside of your city that involves a quick(ish) drive or train journey, and try and do it at least once a month. It will make the world of difference to your mood, trust me.
Have lots of picnics
In the fast-paced nature of city life, us city dwellers simply don’t have the time to escape into the countryside every single weekend. Luckily, most cities are inundated with parks, gardens and even forests if you know where to look. Maybe wandering in the wilderness isn’t super appealing to a city kid, so keep it social with picnics and BBQ’s – anything that involves laying on the grass in the sun with a few beers. You’ll be reminded of how nice it feels to have the grass between your toes.
Take a break from city breaks
We all love a city break, but if you’re a city kid you’re not actually giving yourself a total break by visiting another city on your days off. Balance your city breaks with relaxing nature breaks; somewhere involving a beach, or surrounded by nature. If you’ve got your sights set on Amsterdam or Barcelona, make your next trip somewhere like Norway, Iceland or Canada, with scenery so breathtaking it will make you (almost) want to give up the city life for good.
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Switch off digitally
This one is super important, but also incredibly hard to do. We’re hard-wired to keep our phones in our hand 24/7, so that we can save time by doing our weekly shop, checking the weather and organising plans for the weekend while squished on the AM train to work. But in order to fully connect with our surroundings, we need to tune out of the digital world as often as we can. Switch it off, and put that bad boy down! It will make that walk through the park or day trip to the countryside all the more relaxing without checking your Insta notifications.
Get physical
City kids are notoriously restless, which makes leisurely nature walks pretty hard to enjoy. If you have some excess energy to dispose of, why not take your gym routine outside? Exercising in your local park or even your garden can give you that all needed time outside whilst also giving you motivation to actually do your workout (if it’s sunny, of course – ain’t nobody got time to work out in the rain.) If working out doesn’t float your boat, opt for a bike ride to work rather than a train, or even a game of rounders every other weekend with the squad.
