Finding Peace in Nature During Turbulent Times

These are challenging days for many Americans. The recent deployment of thousands of federal immigration agents, including ICE officers to Minneapolis under Operation Metro Surge, has triggered widespread fear, anger, grief, and overwhelm across communities nationwide. Fatal shootings of U.S. citizens during protests and enforcement actions have led to protests, walkouts, and legal battles, as thousands of people demand accountability and de-escalation of federal actions in Minnesota. 

In times like these, turmoil and uncertainty can take a real toll on our emotional and mental well-being. When headlines are filled with distressing news, and conversations with friends and loved ones center on fear and frustration, it’s more important than ever to cultivate sources of resilience and restoration — and one of the most powerful supports available to all of us is right outside our doors: nature.

Science Shows Nature Really Helps

Research consistently finds that spending time in natural settings — parks, forests, rivers, oceans, and green spaces — reduces stress, calms the nervous system, and improves emotional balance. Being outdoors helps lower stress hormones like cortisol, ease physical tension such as high blood pressure, and offer a break from constant alertness and worry. Even short walks among trees or beside water can help the mind shift from anxiety to a more restful state.

Beyond physical effects, nature gives us a space to pause, reflect, and reconnect with something larger than the moment’s headlines. Whether through gentle sounds of wind in the leaves, sunlight on your face, or the rhythmic movement of waves, natural environments invite our nervous systems to find balance, which supports clearer thinking and emotional grounding when the world around us feels heavy.

How Nature Helps When Emotions Run High

For people dealing with fear, anger, grief, or overwhelm, nature can offer:

• A safe, nonjudgmental space to breathe and be present

• Physiological relief from stress responses

• A shift from “fight-or-flight” to rest and restoration

• A reminder that we are part of a larger interconnected world

Every step outside — whether a short walk around the block, time in a local park, or a calm moment beside a window garden — is a chance to restore your emotional reserves. It doesn’t minimize the seriousness of what we are witnessing, but it can fortify you to process it with strength and compassion.

Let nature be one of the tools you reach for when days feel heavy. Sometimes healing begins with a single breath of fresh air.

Four Practices To Help You Process

1 - Grounding Through the Senses

Sit or stand outside and slowly name:

• 5 things you can see

• 4 things you can feel (breeze, sun, ground)

• 3 things you can hear

• 2 things you can smell

• 1 thing you’re grateful for (optional)

This helps calm the nervous system when fear or overwhelm takes over by bringing attention back to the present moment.

2 - Emotion-Led Walking

Go for a walk with no destination or pace goal.

As you walk, silently name what you’re feeling: anger, grief, confusion, numbness. Let the emotion exist without trying to solve it. Many people find movement helps emotions loosen and shift naturally.

3 - Tree or Water Sitting (Containment Practice)

Sit near a tree, river, lake, or even a patch of grass.
Place one hand on your body and one on the earth. Imagine the ground holding what feels too heavy to carry alone. This can be especially helpful when emotions feel overwhelming or uncontainable.

4 - Nature as Mirror

Notice something in nature that reflects how you feel:

• A stormy sky

• Bare branches

• Flowing water

• A resilient plant growing through concrete

Ask gently: What does this remind me of in myself right now? This can help externalize emotions and create meaning without words.

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Nature doesn’t ask you to feel better. It simply makes space for you to feel — and that’s often where healing begins.