Sara Weinreb, writer, herbalist, host of the Medium Well Podcast shares her tips to incorporate more nature in your house.

Connecting to nature, spending time amongst trees, and simply being outside has been researched and proven to have benefits for our physical, emotional, and mental health. You may not need a study to prove that to you, though— how did you feel the last time you went on a walk?

 There’s so much we can learn from the synchronicity and simplicity of nature. In nature, there’s no waste. Everything works to support each other. In nature, there’s no division. An oak tree doesn’t judge a pine tree for looking differently, smelling differently, or feel envious that it stays green year-round. Nature is slow, steady, and consistent. Nature is abundant, forgiving, resilient, and always present.

These are traits I strive for personally, and I hope we can strive for collectively. But in moments where we can’t get outside— perhaps due to weather, illness, accessibility, or, sometimes due to a global quarantine period— how do we continue to connect to nature while at home? Here are five of my favorite ways.

Adorn your home with indoor plants

Whether you have one trusty plant or a collection, indoor plants are not only decor but a way to connect to nature from your couch. Bringing some nature into your home through plants helps you to see nature all around you, and also bring along a host of health benefits including filtering your air and improving mental health. It’s also fun to have something to care for, and the pop of green around the house constantly brings you back to nature.

Connect to nature through herbs

As an herbalist, one of my favorite ways to connect to nature without leaving my home is by spending time with and consuming herbs. Whether these are the herbs in your kitchen pantry, which are largely medicinal, or others you have bought from your local apothecary, online herb shop, or harvested, brewing a daily tea and sitting with the plants gives you time to truly embody the reciprocal nature of, well, nature. If you’d like to take the practice even deeper, you can brew an overnight infusion of herbs by boiling water, adding your herbs and the hot water to a mason jar, and letting them steep overnight for an extra-potent medicinal brew.

Explore your home for what came from the earth

Here’s a fun exercise: even if you don’t have plants or herbs at home, take a look around your house and kitchen with a critical eye for what came from the earth. Whether it’s a mason jar, made of glass, your favorite mug made of clay, your dining room table or the floors made of wood, and beyond, you can start to see how everything is made using elements of the earth. I like to then think of the process, all the hands that product needed to touch, all the way back to when it came from the earth. It’s easy to be disconnected from the objects around us, but they truly have history and meaning to them.

Spend time connecting to the food you consume

The meals you cook, the food you take out, gardening, your grocery shopping trips and trips to the farmer’s market or food deliveries— these can all help you be closer to nature. Have you ever took a moment to think about where your food came from and how amazing nature is for providing it for us? It’s a beautiful practice that connects us more closely to our food ecosystem. Additionally, you can plant your own garden or small indoor herb garden, or even regrow veggie scraps like the bulb of green onions or the stalk of romaine lettuce, in water in your kitchen. By doing so, you’ll be immersing yourself into the experience of growing food and the magic that makes it happen.

Spend time listening to nature

Lastly, connecting to nature can be as simple as sitting next to an open window, if that’s safe and accessible to you. Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you. Tune in to the sounds of the trees in the breeze, the birds and bees buzzing away, the squirrels running up trees. Connecting to nature can truly be this simple.

 Perhaps you’re sensing a theme here. By being intentional with what we do, consume, and surround ourselves with, we can connect to nature by engaging in the tasks we likely do every day. Attuning yourself and setting an intention to connect to nature is as simple as that.