The Power of Nature

Welcome to this edition of The Digital Detox Guide. This article is taken from the November 2025 edition of The Digital Detox Guide, a free monthly article on Substack. You can access all the latest articles here.

🔎 Here’s what’s inside this issue:

1. A Digital Detox in Nature Significantly Boosts Health and Wellbeing
2. Where is Your Happy Place?
3. Do Trees Care Too?
4. Your November Digital Detox Challenges
5. The Digital Detox Guide

A Digital Detox in Nature Significantly Boosts Health and Wellbeing🌿

I remember reading an article in The Guardian back in 2019 which reported that spending just two hours a week in nature can significantly boost health and wellbeing, even if all you do is sit quietly and enjoy the peace [1]. The article cited research published in the Journal of Scientific Reports by Dr Mathew White, an environmental psychologist at the University of Exeter Medical School. His study drew on data from a large Natural England survey examining how much time people spent in contact with the natural world each week.

More recently, Prof. Kathy Willis’s book Good Nature: Improve Your Health and Happiness with Nature – One Simple Step at a Time, (2024) [2], brings together the latest scientific research on why nature is so vital to our physical and mental wellbeing, as well as our ability to focus.

Here are just some of the fascinating insights she shares:

• Looking at natural scenes triggers psychological and physiological responses that promote calmness, faster recovery from stress, and improvements in our working memory and attention.
• Our eyes are naturally drawn to patterns with a moderate level of fractal complexity; viewing such patterns in nature helps us feel calmer and more focused.
• Seeing green leaves makes us happier, calmer more focused and creative. Foliage with a variety of colours may be even more beneficial.
• Flowers of different colours and shapes can positively influence how we feel and work.
• Certain plant scents can not only reduce anxiety and levels of stress, but also lower inflammatory responses and enhance our immune systems.
• Natural sounds, just like sights and smells, support both physical and mental health.
• Interacting with the natural world and its rich microbial diversity can also enhance our own microbiome diversity in beneficial ways.
• A simple houseplant on your desk, or images, sounds and colours of nature can also have a positive effect.

Willis recommends spending at least 20 minutes outdoors in a biodiverse green space three or four times a week to experience a wide range of health benefits for young and old alike, whether healthy or not, and in both the short and long term.

The wonderful thing about nature is that it demands very little from us and gives us time to think as much or as little as we like. It rests our mental resources, unlike urban man-made environments that can deplete us by demanding our attention and bombarding us with distractions and stimulation.

But to truly benefit from what nature has to offer, we have to be present. Too often, we diminish our experiences by filtering the world through our screens; scrolling and sharing rather than simply being. When we disconnect in nature, even for a short while, something subtle begins to happen. We might notice that the air feels fresher, the colours deeper, and our breathing slows. The constant chatter in our minds quietens and is replaced by birdsong, the rustle of leaves, or the sound of water.

Taking a digital detox in nature is about rediscovering our connection with our senses and ourselves, as well as with other people and with the living world around us. It’s in those unplugged moments that nature does its quiet, restorative work.

Where is your happy place? 🍃

I recently visited the Danbury Ridge Nature Reserve, managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust, with my daughter and Poppy, our nine-year-old cocker spaniel. We followed the well-signposted trail that winds through at least five different wooded areas, each with its own quiet beauty.

My happy place is walking among tall trees. There’s something magical about the way the light filters through the canopy and the earthy smell that brings a deep sense of connection with nature, along with a feeling of calmness and being comfortable with my thoughts.

The woods feel, in a strange way, both silent and alive with sound. Perhaps it’s the way trees absorb noise, allowing birdsong and the rustle of leaves in the breeze to stand out more clearly.

In his delightful book ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’, [3] Peter Wohlleben describes the forest as an “epitome of healthy air”. The immense canopy of leaves in the forest act as air filters, capturing large and small particles as they drift on the breeze. A walk in the forest on a summer day is like “taking a shower in oxygen”, as trees breathe out approximately 29 tons of oxygen for every square mile of forest.

Trees are living beings and they breathe, or more correctly respire, through narrow slits on the undersides of their leaves. During the day the trees feed through a process of photosynthesis, taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, but at night the process is reversed. Roots can also ‘breathe’ as well, which keeps deciduous trees alive in the winter when the leaves are shed.

Trees do so much to enrich our lives. They provide homes for thousands of species of wildlife, yet after the First World War, the UK’s tree cover had fallen to a historic low, just 5% of the total land area. Centuries of deforestation for timber, fuel, and agriculture, combined with the intensive use of existing woodlands during the war, had left the nation’s forests severely depleted.

Today, tree cover across the UK has recovered to roughly 13%, still far below the European average of about 37%. In 2024, I swam the 11 miles of Lake Windermere in Cumbria, raising enough funds to plant 300 saplings for the National Trust’s Plant 20 Million Trees by 2030 appeal. Each stroke through that vast, cold lake reminded me why protecting our natural world matters so deeply. It felt like a small but meaningful way to give something back to the landscapes and woodlands that mean so much to me.

Maybe finding our happy place among the trees is also a reminder of how much we owe to the natural world, and how important it is to protect and restore them.

👉 The next time you take a daytime walk under the canopy of leaves in a wood or a forest, switch your phone to silent and pause to notice the air that you breathe. See if you can feel how much fresher and cleaner it is.

Do Trees Care Too?🌳

A small story from my garden about loss, resilience, and the quiet ways nature looks after its own.

In my garden, I have two small pear trees that were already there when we moved in many years ago. Every year, they’ve produced an abundance of pears, which we’ve turned into delicious crumbles.

At the height of a particularly bad storm in October 2013, an enormous branch from a neighbouring conifer tree came crashing down onto one of the pear trees. The poor tree didn’t stand a chance. Its branches snapped under the weight, leaving only a stub of a trunk less than a metre high, leaning precariously as some of its roots had been damaged too. It seemed impossible for it to survive such extensive damage and shock. A couple of metres away, the second pear tree was also damaged, though many of its branches remained intact.

The following spring, much to our relief, the little stump of a pear tree began to sprout tiny new branches. Each year since, those branches have grown stronger. The roots now seem to be anchoring the little tree more firmly in the ground, and now every summer it produces an abundance of pears once again.

In his wonderful book The Hidden Life of Trees, [3] Peter Wohlleben describes how some tree species, particularly in natural forests, are interconnected. They appear to know when a neighbour is in distress and will come to its aid by sharing resources, either directly through their roots or via the fungal networks that surround them.

I don’t know if the stronger pear tree somehow came to the aid of it’s companion, but I’d like to think so.
Climate change and the importance of trees, woods, and forests, along with the health of our soil, are all major news stories now. There’s growing consensus that we need millions more trees for our own survival. We think we understand the world we live in, yet the more we discover about nature, the more we realise how little we actually know.

Nature has its own quiet ways of caring. The more we pay attention, the more we see ourselves reflected there.

👉 How do you make space for nature in your daily life?

Your Nature Digital Detox Challenges ✨

As the autumn days grow shorter and the year winds down, November is a wonderful time to digital detox by reconnecting with nature. This month’s challenges are gentle reminders to take time away from our screens and notice the natural world beyond them.

Here are three simple, but powerful, ways to disconnect and reconnect with nature.

1. The ‘Walk in Nature’ Challenge 🍁

Technology keeps us glued to our screens, but even a few moments outdoors can help reset the mind and restore a sense of calm. Inspired by Prof. Kathy Willis’s recommendation to spend at least 20 minutes outdoors in a biodiverse green space three or four times a week, [2] this challenge invites you to pause, unplug, and immerse yourself in nature and give your brain a much-needed break from constant digital stimulation.

The Challenge: To ‘Walk in Nature’

✅ Find a green space near your home, workplace, or along a route you often take.
✅ Switch your phone to silent and put it away where you can’t see it.
✅ Set a simple intention to just be present.
✅ Take a slow, mindful 20-minute walk.
✅ Notice the natural world around you; the light, colours, sounds and smells.
✅ Let your thoughts wander without judgement. If your mind drifts to your to-do list, gently bring your focus back to your surroundings.
✅ Notice how it feels simply to be in nature. Do you feel calmer?

Think of each walk as a small act of digital rebellion. Your way of taking back control and recharging your mind.

👉 I’d love you to share what you have discovered.

2. The ‘Pay Attention to Nature’ Challenge 🌿

Have you noticed how often people reach for their phones the moment there’s a pause?

Our attention spans have been getting shorter, in part due to how we interact with technology. We have become so used to being distracted, that we will often internally distract ourselves just to look at our phones. [4]

This challenge is about reclaiming your focus and reconnecting with the richness of the natural world around you. It’s especially lovely on a sunny day surrounded by trees.

The Challenge: To ‘Pay Attention to Nature’

✅ Find a quiet, safe green space, either on your own or with a friend, and where you can sit and see some trees.
✅ Put your phone on silent and keep it out of sight.
✅ Take a few mindful breathes, relax and be receptive to the natural world around you.
✅ Once you feel settled, try this:
 🌿 See four natural things and really notice their size, shape, and colours.
 🌿 Touch three things — maybe the texture of bark or grass, or feel the breeze on your skin.
 🌿 Listen carefully to two natural sounds. Close your eyes if it helps you hear more clearly.
 🌿 Smell one thing — perhaps the earth, a flower, or even the air itself.

📝 Try this once a week and see what changes.
👉 I’d love to know if you feel more connected with nature afterwards.

3. The ‘Pause and Reflect’ Nature Challenge 🌸

Ever found yourself reacting to something online before you’ve even thought about it? We’ve all been there, endlessly scrolling, liking, or commenting without pausing to reflect, especially when we’re tired or the content is emotionally charged.

This challenge helps you break that pattern. It gives you a moment to think, to activate your critical thinking skills to decide whether the content might be fake, misleading or incomplete, whether you are being manipulated, what the purpose might be, and whether it is from a trusted source.

Importantly, it will allow you time to reflect on whether you really want to publish an online response, and whether it aligns with your values.

The Challenge: The ‘Pause and Reflect’ with Nature

✅ Set yourself a five-minute pause rule before responding to emotional or sensational content online.
✅ Make sure you can see something natural nearby — a window view, a houseplant, or even a photo of nature.
✅ When you feel that urge to react, pause. Look at the natural scene for up to five minutes, or until you feel a little distance from the content.
✅ Then return online if you wish, reflect, and choose your response consciously.
📝 Try this whenever you feel tempted to react automatically.
👉 I’d love to hear if it helps you feel calmer and more in control of your digital world.

The Digital Detox Guide

This article is taken from the November 2025 edition of The Digital Detox Guide, a free monthly article on Substack. You can access the latest articles here.

🧡 Stay present. Stay human.

About the Author

Colin Corby is a Digital Wellbeing & Human Performance expert, keynote speaker and coach helping people reclaim time, energy and focus in an AI-powered world. He has been guiding individuals and organisations since 2018 to build healthier, more intentional relationships with technology.

References and further information

[1] ‘Two-Hour ‘Dose’ of Nature Significantly Boosts Health – Study’, (13 Jun 2019), Damian Carrington, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/13/two-hour-dose-nature-weekly-boosts-health-study-finds
[2] ‘Good Nature: Improve Your Health and Happiness With Nature – One Simple Step at a Time’, (2024), Kathy Willis, Bloomsbury Tonic,
[3] ‘The Hidden Life of Trees: What they feel, How They Communicate: Discoveries from a Secret World’, (2016), Peter Wohlleben, William Collins
[4] ‘Attention Span – Finding Focus for a Fulfilling Life’, (2023), Gloria Mark, William Collins, P95