Nature’s Role in Calming a Mother’s Overloaded Mind

Motherhood is transformative, beautiful, joyful, and, at times (or at the same time) overwhelming, exhausting and emotional. Sleepless nights, constant caregiving, and emotional intensity can leave your mind racing and your nervous system on high alert.

One of the most effective, natural ways to restore calm is connecting with nature. As an eco-therapist, I’ve spent countless miles hiking and immersing myself in forests, rivers, and mountains. Now, with my twins, we love to get our on local short trails, enjoying the restorative rhythms of the outdoors together. We are also luck enough to have access to a very special back garden that is filled with native flora and fauna - as well as a mud kitchen, rocks for climbing, swings and sandpit. This space and time outside has been just what the three of us need especially on days that feel depleting, wild and emotional.

Why Nature Supports Mothers’ Mental Health

Research confirms what many mothers intuitively feel: nature is deeply restorative.

• Stress Reduction: Being in natural environments lowers cortisol levels and reduces blood pressure¹.

• Improved Mood: Exposure to sunlight, fresh air, and green spaces decreases anxiety and depressive symptoms².

• Nervous System Regulation: Nature engages the parasympathetic nervous system — our “rest and digest” mode³.

• Cognitive Restoration: Even brief interactions with nature improve focus, attention, and clarity⁴.

For mothers, these benefits can provide critical relief during overwhelming days. Even short moments outdoors can allow your body and mind to reset.

Practical Ways to Connect with Nature

Even if leaving the house is challenging, you can still access nature’s calming effects:

1. Short Outdoor Moments

• Step onto a balcony, patio, or porch and observe the sky, wind, or birds.

• Take a brief walk around the block or in a nearby park with your baby.

2. Indoor Nature Practices

• Open windows to let in sunlight and fresh air.

• Keep houseplants, flowers, or small indoor gardens.

• Listen to nature sounds or forest sound recordings while feeding or resting.

3. Family Nature Time

• Explore local trails with toddlers, noticing textures, colours, and sounds.

• Create small outdoor rituals, like barefoot walks on grass, gentle rocking in the sun, or observing wildlife.

• Model mindfulness for your children by pausing and noticing the natural world together. One thing we love doing is watching the birds that come to feed on the wattle trees.

4. Mindful Sensory Connection

• Touch soil, leaves, or water.

• Listen attentively to birdsong, wind, or running water.

• Observe sunlight, clouds and shadow patterns throughout the day.

Even brief sensory experiences send signals to your nervous system that it is safe to relax.

Nature as a Co-Regulator

Nature is more than scenery, it’s a co-regulator for your nervous system and a healer for mental fatigue. Whether it’s a hike, a short walk, or simply pausing on a balcony, the natural world can restore calm, clarity, and connection.

Incorporating these moments into your daily life (solo or with your children) nurtures both mind and body, helping you feel grounded in the transformative journey of motherhood.

Continue Reading

• Why Taking Care of Your Body and Nervous System is the Greatest Gift to Your Child

• A Mother’s Guide To Understanding and Regulating Your Nervous System

• Sleep Deprivation in Motherhood: How Exhaustion Affects Your Nervous System & Parenting

• What Is Somatic Therapy? A Guide for Mothers

• Embodied Motherhood: Rediscovering Your Body on the Journey of Becoming a Mother

References / External Links

1. Ulrich, R. S. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224(4647), 420–421. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.6143402

2. Bratman, G. N., et al. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. PNAS, 112(28), 8567–8572. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1510459112

3. Park, B. J., et al. (2010). Physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) in 24 forests across Japan. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 15, 18–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-009-0086-9

4. Berman, M. G., et al. (2008). The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological Science, 19(12), 1207–1212. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02225.x