FEEL BETTER INSIDE & OUTSIDE: THE MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITY
As the air turns crisp and the leaves start to change, fall is the perfect season to take your mental health outdoors. Whether it’s a walk through a colorful park, a bike ride on a cool afternoon, or raking leaves in the yard, being active outside can have a powerful impact on emotional well-being. Research shows that time in nature reduces stress, improves mood, and helps regulate emotions for people of all ages. A 2024 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that walking just 7,500 steps a day was linked to a 42% lower risk of experiencing symptoms of depression. The benefits are real— and they’re just outside your door. Here’s how being active outdoors can support your mental health: • Reduces stress: Natural environments help lower cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, leaving you feeling calmer. • Improves focus and emotional regulation: Especially for children, outdoor activity is tied to better attention, fewer behavioral challenges, and stronger coping skills. • Boosts mood and sleep: Exposure to daylight helps reset your internal clock, supporting more restful sleep and stable moods. • Strengthens social connection: Group hikes, family walks, or community cleanups can build a sense of belonging and reduce loneliness.
At Syntero, we know that strong mental health is rooted in connection—to ourselves, to others, and to the natural world. This fall, embrace the season as an opportunity to reset, reflect, and recharge—one step outside at a time. Need support? Call Syntero’s intake team at 614-889-5722 ext. 133 or visit syntero.org. Because healing doesn’t always happen in an office — sometimes, it starts with fresh air and fallen leaves.
About Syntero Syntero, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that advocates and supports the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities by providing professional, compassionate, expert counseling and community-based services that adapt to the community’s changing needs. Syntero has served Dublin for more than 46 years and now has offices in Dublin, Hilliard, Lewis Center, and Mount Gilead.
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