Going outdoors is so important for your health, especially in the autumn and winter, because our bodies need the natural daylight to make vitamin D to keep our bones and muscles healthy. Additionally, getting enough natural light during the day helps to maintain our circadian rhythm, helping us to drift off to sleep at night.
Plus, if you’ve gone for a walk or are doing some gardening as part of your ‘getting outdoors’ activity, you’ll also get the health benefits of moving your body. Even a gentle walk is better than nothing at all – and it’s a great way to reverse the stiffness of working at a computer or sitting on the sofa.
However, you might need a little extra encouragement to venture outdoors this season. So, I’ve come up with some hobby ideas that’ll hopefully inspire you to get more creative, whilst also benefiting from the natural daylight and physical movement.
Paint wonderful watercolours
The first creative project you could try this season is painting a watercolour. You might not have tried painting since your school days, but that doesn’t matter. No one needs to see your artwork, yet the benefits of giving it a go are massive.
You’ll feel a sense of achievement just by having a go at creating a painting yourself. You’ll take some time away from scrolling on your phone, which helps you to slow down and relax. Plus, your eyes will thank you for looking across a landscape rather than at a bright screen.
The important thing about this project, however, is simply spending time outdoors. There are so many beautiful colours of autumn leaves out there at the moment, so why not head to your local park to paint the trees or stroll along the edge of a woodland to capture the seasonal scene?
All you need is a small watercolor kit and you can get started on this peaceful new hobby. Plus, deep focus on a creative project can help boost your happiness and bring about balance according to Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory.
Capture the season through photography
Likewise, the autumn and winter deliver the best scenes to photograph, with bright sunlight shining through the autumn leaves on a crisp morning or rolling hills sprinkled with sparkling frost. And if it snows, you should definitely capture that frozen landscape while you can – it makes everything look so magical.
You don’t need any fancy equipment to be able to take photos while you’re out on a wintery walk. Just your phone’s camera is enough to take a lovely photo. However, to really disconnect from technology, you could use a real film camera on your photo walk.
It’s still possible to buy retro-style reusable analogue cameras, which deliver that authentic combination of light and grain to create a vintage-inspired image. Plus, it helps you to slow down and be more considered in your approach to photography. Knowing that you have a limited number of shots on your film roll helps you to be patient and plan the photo before snapping the scene, bringing even more creativity (and calmness) to the process.
Who knows? The photos you take of snowy scenes or robins in frosted trees may even become the images you get printed onto Christmas cards to send to your family and friends. Or you could frame your photographs and hang them up as a seasonal gallery wall in your home.
Image from AgfaPhoto Analogue
Go for an ‘inspiration walk’
Creativity is often sparked when you’re least expecting it. When your mind is relaxed and you’re doing something else is often when inspiration can strike. I’ve found that one of the best ways to get into that zone of creative thinking is to go for a walk.
Strolling along with nothing to distract me is the ideal time for my brain to subconsciously work through problems and come up with solutions. I’ve been walking along the coast, enjoying the sound of the waves and thinking of nothing in particular, when a creative idea comes to me. It just shows that a relaxed mind helps you to think more clearly.
At this time of year, there’s also plenty to look at for inspiration while you’re walking – fairy lights in villages, seasonal window displays in towns and nature doing its thing as the seasons change. Deliberately noticing these elements can be a mindful activity, especially if you use your senses to see, smell and hear new things.
Plus, going for an ‘inspiration walk’ is definitely an activity that allows you to move your body to boost your physical health. Personal trainers say that ‘motion is lotion’, so a simple stroll will help to keep your joints lubricated and stiffness at bay.
I hope I’ve been able to encourage you to head outdoors this season to get your daily dose of fresh air and daylight. I’ve previously shared some lovely low-cost self-care ideas for autumn evenings so be sure to check that out too.
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This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂
