How to Use Your Backyard as a Mental Health Oasis
It’s been a long, grey winter cooped up indoors—combine that with too much screen time and a hectic schedule full of activity, it’s normal to feel frazzled this time of year! Luckily, with sunny days and spring flowers on the rise, outdoor activities and spending time in our backyards can provide us with respite from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Ideas and Activities to Transform Your Backyard into a Peaceful Safe Haven
An empty backyard isn’t going to bring the calm, carefree vibes you seek! It’s all about creating ambience. We’ve got some great ideas and activities to set the scene in your backyard, so you can relax and recharge whenever you like. Your busy brain will thank you!
Create a Space for Yoga and Meditation Activities
Wouldn’t it be nice to spend time each morning going through your Sun Salutations in your backyard oasis, surrounded by pretty plants, butterflies, and bees?
Choose a spot in your backyard to become your designated yoga corner, add some paver stones to lead the way, and surround yourself with native plants. Native plants are beautiful and super low-maintenance, so that’s one less thing to worry about when trying to get into a zen headspace. Plus, the local pollinators love native plants best!
Purchase a pretty, weatherproof outdoor carpet that you can use as your backyard yoga mat. You can place them on the grass or paved areas. Weatherproof cushions are also useful if you don’t like sitting on a flat surface. Delicate wind chimes can bring a soft, soothing sound to help ease you into a meditative state.
Set Up a Cozy Nook for Reading and Journaling
Starting a journal is a fantastic activity for processing our thoughts and releasing mental clutter, and reading a good book is a great way to transport your mind to a different world, if only for an afternoon. A comfy outdoor chair nestled amongst your landscape plants makes a perfect reading and writing nook. Make sure you add a little side table so you can bring a cup of tea with you!
Add Ambient Water Features
Trickling water is so soothing. Fountains, ponds, and birdbaths can all provide that lovely, ambient sound; it’s instant bliss! On top of sounding ever-so-lovely, water features are gorgeous! They bring the element of water to your backyard—now you’ve got your earth, your air, and the fiery warmth of the sun, all coming together to create a balanced, beautiful atmosphere for relaxation.
Get a Hammock
Never underestimate the soothing powers of a backyard hammock. There’s something about rocking back and forth on a sunny, breezy afternoon that just melts your troubles away. Hammocks are great for folks who have trouble meditating and feel like their mind is full of activity—the gentle physical stimulus makes it so much easier to achieve a sense of calm.
Grow Wellness Plants
There are so many plants with powerful medicinal properties—we swear it’s not mumbo jumbo! Lavender and Chamomile have incredible aromatherapeutic properties, helping ease anxiety and soothe a tired mind. Echinacea flowers are an active ingredient in cold medicines and herbal teas to soothe the throat. Peppermint helps relax your muscles, and it’s a bronchodilator, which means it helps you breathe clearer and more deeply.
There are so many more wellness plants you can grow, and cultivating them in your backyard is a meditative activity in itself!
Creating a peaceful backyard space for activities in British Columbia is a surefire way to step into spring with optimism and light! From garden plants to outdoor art and furniture for your backyard retreat, Mother Nature has a beautiful selection of backyard decor we’re sure you’ll love.