15 Ways to Connect to Nature in a City

My urban friends have always said the one thing they hate most about the city is the disconnect from nature. Well I am here to provide creative solutions for you to attach with the outdoors without having to move to the woods and leave your city life behind.

1. Welcome the Morning

When you wake up in the morning, look out your window. Resist the urge to check your texts, social media, and emails. Welcome your day by seeing the outside elements through your window.

By observing nature first thing in the morning you are exercising your intuition and your knowing side; what you desire in the world, what you want your life to be, and who you are without the job title. When you are on your phone the first thing you are exercising is the comparing side of your emotions; what am I missing out on, what my life should look like, wow, they are doing it so much better. Over time you will release the anxiety of needing to answer people first thing in the morning. Be patient with yourself, this will take time.

2. In the Cracks

When you are walking down the street, start noticing the plants that grow between the cracks in the sidewalk and up the side of buildings. This is a wonderful reminder for how resilient our plant friends are and maybe they will inspire you to keep going.

3. Farmers Market and CSA

Shop at a farmers market or join a CSA. This is a great way to observe what’s in season and what produce is local to your city. 
You can refer back to my entry about How to be Eco Friendly while Grocery Shopping in the City to find your Local Farmers Market and CSA in the USA. Find the article HERE.

4. Ice Ice Baby

Put an ice cube on your face every morning. Not only does this have insane benefits to bags under your eyes, increasing circulation, and pore rejuvenation, but this is also a quick way to connect to the stimulation of weather in your body.

5. House Plants

Have you ever heard the saying “never date anyone who doesn’t have books in their home”? Well, I believe “never date anyone that doesn’t have PLANTS in their home”. Fill your home with plants and let your love life see a major boost.

Having plants in your home is the quickest way to welcome nature into your life while living in the city. Start investigating what plants you can fill your home with - low light, direct sunlight, and herbs and vegetables in the kitchen for cooking. There is a plant for EVERY space of your home if you choose.

6. Touch and Smell

Now that you have plants in your home, interact with them. Touch and smell them everyday. By touching and smelling, you are waking up two senses that are very deprived from nature in the city.

Recent research has shown that the smell of humus (organic component of soil from degraded leaves) brings a physiological effect on humans. This scent stimulates the release of the hormone oxytocin, the same chemical that promotes bonding between mother and child, and between lovers. Through touching your plant’s soil, you are becoming familiar with how often each plant absorbs water. By gently touching your plant’s leaves and stems, you are activating their immune system and helping them to fight off bacteria and fungus. If you live alone, this is a great way to keep your touch sensory system strong and satisfied.

7. Visit Water

Go to your local stream, lake, or beach. Being next to water is incredibly healing, even if you can not physically jump in: Looking at you Hudson River.

Being near water allows you to breathe fresh air. Yes, even in a city you will have fresh air by the water. The same way the moon and stars provide a larger than life calm, water does as well. Observing how streams and rivers bend, diving under waves in the ocean, and kayaking across your local lake brings a feeling of float which slows down your brainwaves and creates the emotion of calm.

8. Ice Melt

Get a bowl of ice cubes and slowly pour room temperature water over it. Try to have a quiet space so you can hear the cracking of the ice cubes. This will help create a relation to climate change.

Many of us will not have the opportunity to visit the Arctic Circle or places that have amazing icebergs. By creating your own mini ice cap within your bowl, you stimulate empathy and knowledge for what is happening in our glacier ecosystems. You can even use your iPhone to take a time lapse to see how the icecaps are melting over time. This is a great way to combine your creative side with your environmental side.

9. Music

Set a soundtrack to nature sounds for an entire day or work session. Having sounds of nature brings down the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight).

Your sympathetic nervous system is always over stimulated from living in a city due to horns honking, sirens, people yelling, trains, and constant movement. Here is a link to the playlist I made for you: Nature Playlist

10. Bike

Get a bike. If you do not feel safe riding your bike around the city, I get that! I have this fear of someone opening their car door while I’m passing on my bike and I go flying. But, you can take your bike to a local park. Most parks have wonderful bike paths that take you through large canopies and mini bodies of water. This helps you experience the calming sensation of the wind while creating extra endorphins from exercising. You can even order bikes online right now, here is the one I ordered: State Bicycle

11. Grass and Feet

Go to your local park and take your shoes off. Take off your shoes and let your toes experience the grass. Most local parks have a grassy area that will be away from overgrowth so you wont need to worry about ticks. Also, walking through the botanical garden helps you recognize your city’s local plant life along with plant life from around the world. Experience the seasonal changes by seeing what flowers are in bloom and the texture of the leaves.

12. Momma Moon

Look at the moon EVERY night. With living in the city we do not get to see the stars. But no matter where you are, you can always see the glorious moon.

By observing the moon every night your body becomes more in tune with the gravitational pull (ladies, your menstruation will even start to sync up with the moon!). You begin to understand waxing and waning and when each full moon and new moon is happening. Beware: this will also make you observe energy differently (ah, it’s a full moon tonight, people are going to be a little crazy!).

13. Planetarium

Visit your local planetarium if it is open. One of the big draws of living in a city is its awesome nightlife. There is always a show to see, new exhibits to attend, or bars to enjoy with friends. But we never get to see the stars. By going to your local planetarium not only are you supporting important scientific research that has lost a lot of funding over the past few years, you are also experiencing the feeling of release. There is a beautiful sense of calm and awe when you look up at the stars and see how much more is out there. Maybe your problems aren’t so big…

14. Sound Meditation

Turn off all the sounds in your apartment and open a window (even during storms or winter days). Close your eyes. Spend 3 minutes focusing on the sounds that are furthest away. Spend 3 minutes focusing on the sounds that are closest. You will notice city noises but you will also start to hear natural sounds too.

15. Take a Trip

When the time comes where it is safe to travel more and travel with friends, treat yourself to a trip out of the city.

One of my favorite trips was going upstate with a group of friends and renting a big house in the woods. It was extremely inexpensive. We all were off our phones, cooked every meal from scratch, played board games, drank local cider, and went on long day hikes. This was such a wonderful way for us all to connect and share our need for nature. If you want to go solo or with a lover, rent a Getaway home. This is a great way to unplug and see what living minimally is really like: Getaway House

It took me many years to realize finding nature within the city didn't have to involve renting a car, a house, buying a ton of groceries, and racing to make it back in time for work the next day. These simple tools will have you interacting with the natural world starting right when you open your eyes.

If you have any other ways of connecting to nature in your city, please share them below! Let’s help one another experience the beauty of our earth every day.

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