Feeling Stressed at Work? Going Outdoors Could Help

According to Gallup, only a third of employees globally are thriving in their lives. One reason could be the stress they experience at work. In 2022, McKinsey & Company surveyed employees from 15 countries to find that one in four were experiencing burnout. Both Gallup and Deloitte have reported that up to 3 in 4 employees in the U.S. have experienced burnout at some point at work. 

How Some Executives Handle Stress

How can we dissipate some of the stress we accrue in the context of our work? In our interviews with Christian executives, we asked them to tell us how they recalibrated in difficult moments at work when they were tempted to despair. How do they get back to hope, even joy? I was surprised by how many said they go outside. 

An executive in the banking industry told us, 

I have to take a walk. I have walks periodically. I got so fed up a couple of weeks ago over some technology issues. I was trying to do an expense report, and I just kept hitting this brick wall. I really wanted to throw the computer through the window. I was so upset, and I had no idea why. I said, “You know what? In the grand scheme of things, who cares? I’m gonna take a break. I’m gonna call for help, but I’m gonna just leave for a minute.” I went outside, I got fresh air, and I changed the way I was thinking about all that.

A mental health provider shared, 

Whether I’m working from home or working from the office, I’ll go outside, and no matter what the weather is, I find something that’s green. I find something that shimmers. I find something that points me back to God and his creation, and that puts me in a space of awe and wonderment and recognition of the fact that if he could create these little raindrops that splatter and give a different pattern, he could handle this situation.

The Connection between Stress and Going Outdoors

Researchers have explored the connection between time outdoors, what they call “nature contact,” and various dimensions of well-being including stress, burnout, and work engagement. The consensus is that time outdoors can have tremendous benefits. One study compared people who took a 10-minute outdoor break during their workday for four weeks with people who took a 10-minute indoor break over the same period. Those who took the outdoor breaks saw a greater reduction in stress than those in the indoor group. But there’s a catch! Those on the outdoor breaks didn’t listen to a podcast or read a book while sitting under a tree. The researchers instructed the participants to put away their devices and observe their surroundings.  

Up to 3 in 4 employees in the U.S. have experienced burnout at some point at work.

Make a Plan to Go Outdoors

We work in a variety of environments–from skyscrapers to shipyards and manufacturing plants to malls. Outdoor spaces where we work could range from crowded sidewalks and parking lots to forest preserves and nature trails. But I bet, if we tried, we could find some way to get outside and pay attention to God’s world no matter where we find ourselves. 

We might be tempted to protest: It’s too hot. It’s too cold. It’s raining. It’s snowing. Well, as my friends in Michigan taught me when I moved there, “There’s no bad weather, only bad clothes.” With a little creativity, we can gear up for 10 minutes outside, right? 

Researchers have explored the connection between time outdoors, what they call “nature contact,” and various dimensions of well-being including stress, burnout, and work engagement. The consensus is that time outdoors can have tremendous benefits.

I’ve come to love mini-breaks outdoors. I have one scheduled on my calendar every Tuesday after a long stint of back-to-back Zoom meetings. Since I work from home, I’ll putter around my flower garden and notice the blooms. I’ll check the progress of my vegetable garden and marvel at the tiny tendrils supporting my green bean and cucumber plants. Or I’ll walk on our property, down the street, or even in loops on the driveway and stare at the trees or the sky. It’s a wonderful reset and stress reliever in the middle of a long day.