Outdoor Activities Can Improve Your Mental Health

Rick Nauert

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This article is based on a study done by the University of Michigan where veterans went on a trip in the outdoors to do a variety of activities such as hiking, kayaking, rafting and backpacking. This study proved that participating in this wilderness excursion reduced the participants mental health issues and general mental problems in life. Some veterans noticed these changes for a week or so after they returned, while others noticed their improvements lasted for a month! even though this study was only done on veterans, I would assume the same is for everyone else as these activities do in fact relieve stress and being away in the outdoors is calming.

I do agree with this studies outcome, when I returned from Algonquin, I noticed I looked at things differently and felt like I had been refreshed or cleansed just as these veterans report feeling. This has made me realize that if I'm ever feeling down, the best thing is to go outside and do some fun activities to take my mind off things instead of sitting at home doing nothing. 

Nauert, Rick. "Outdoor Activities Can Improve Your Mental Health | Psych Central News."Psych Central.com. John M. Grohol, 26 July 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.