Time in Nature, Stress and Attention: What Research Suggests

By Sara Jean · Reviewed September 24, 2026

An afternoon outdoors asks something different of us than an afternoon moving between messages, errands and open tabs. There may be room to notice a shifting patch of light or follow a sound without immediately needing to respond.

That change of setting is part of the appeal of a nature retreat. It also raises a fair question: can time outside help with stress and focus? Some research suggests it can support short-term changes in stress-related measures and attention. The useful answer leaves room for both that possibility and the limits of what has been studied.

Stress is more than a single measurement

In a 2019 field study, MaryCarol Hunter and colleagues followed 36 adults over eight weeks as they spent time in outdoor places they associated with nature. Saliva samples taken around selected visits showed reductions in cortisol beyond its usual daily decline. Participants chose their settings and timing; this was not a randomized comparison with an urban activity. Read the original study in Frontiers in Psychology.

That finding is encouraging, but cortisol is one stress-related measure. It is not a complete reading of someone's nervous system or their experience of wellbeing. The study does not establish that a particular retreat will produce the same result, or that a certain number of minutes outdoors is a treatment everyone should follow.

A different setting may interrupt repetitive thinking

Another study offers a different view. In a 2015 experiment, Gregory Bratman and colleagues randomly assigned 38 healthy participants to a 90-minute nature walk or an urban walk. Those in the nature group reported a reduction in rumination: repetitive, often negative thinking about oneself. The urban group did not show the same change. The published paper describes the experiment and its findings.

This was a small study of a specific experience. It does not show that walking outdoors treats depression, or that the effect continues indefinitely. It does suggest a worthwhile possibility: changing where we spend time may sometimes change how caught up we feel in the same thoughts.

Attention can respond to the surroundings

In two experiments published in 2008, Marc Berman and colleagues compared natural and urban experiences, using walks or pictures. They found improvements on tasks measuring directed attention after nature exposure. Their original research abstract describes the attention tests and the theory behind the work.

Directed attention is the effort involved in choosing what to focus on. The researchers' proposed explanation is that natural surroundings can engage interest without demanding the same kind of concentrated control. This is a theory about how restoration may happen, not proof that every landscape has an identical effect.

Doing better on an attention test is also different from demonstrating lasting changes in everyday productivity. A woodland walk does not need to become another tool for squeezing more work into the day.

Make space for your own experience

For a retreat, these findings can be an invitation to try spending time outside without requiring a particular outcome. Choose a comfortable, appropriate place and an activity that suits your energy and mobility. There is no need to copy a study's walking time.

You might notice three things: what you can hear, where the light falls and whether you want to stay or move on. These are simple prompts for paying attention, not a clinical exercise or a promise of stress relief.

If silence feels awkward, you have not done anything wrong. Bring a book, write a few lines or return indoors. Quiet time can include choices and company. You do not have to force yourself to enjoy isolation to belong on a retreat.

Keep the promise modest

The studies above did not evaluate Wilding Retreat. They cannot establish a guaranteed outcome from a stay, a permanent change in stress responses or a universal “nervous-system reset.” Nature time can be one part of looking after yourself; persistent or troubling symptoms deserve appropriate professional support.

What a retreat can offer is an opportunity to arrange your time differently. At Wilding Retreat at Dark Fairy Farm in Miranda, with a maximum of two guests, you can plan a stay around the pace and activities you prefer. Confirm the accommodation, meals and any sessions separately rather than assuming everything is included.

If your #VisitHumboldt plans include room for quiet, explore Wilding Retreat. Come with curiosity about what you notice, and leave the obligation to feel transformed at home.

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• Plan a solo retreat with room for time outdoors

Make space for time in nature

Come for the redwoods, the quiet and time to notice what is around you. Explore Wilding Retreat in Miranda and choose a stay that fits the pace you want.

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