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If you live and work in a big city, it might feel almost impossible to reconnect with the natural world. After all, you’re surrounded by concrete, glass and steel twenty-four seven, right?

If you work from home, somedays you might not even get outside. Reconnecting with nature might seem like an impossible hippy-dippy dream for most of us. But if you’re craving some greenery, there are some things you can do right now to get back in touch with Mother Nature.

1. Go barefoot in the grass

Okay, so there’s not much lawn in your tenth-floor apartment and even less in your twenty-fifth-floor office.

But most cities have parks, river banks or beaches where you can escape the relentless demands of twenty-first-century life.

Try to take a green lunch break at least a couple of times a week and go to the nearest park. Sit on the ground, take off your shoes, and wiggle your toes into the cool green grass.

2. Touch the earth

While you’re in the park, press your hands and feet flat onto the earth and feel the difference between earth and concrete. There’s a reason why that feeling of relaxation is called ‘being grounded.’

It immediately taps you back into a different, slower world where the grass, plants, and trees are just doing their stuff regardless of office politics or the daily grind.

3. Feel the sun on your skin

You don’t have to be out in nature to appreciate the warmth of the sun. Sunlight is humans’ primary source of Vitamin D, and it also regulates hormones and your daily waking and sleeping cycle (your circadian rhythms).

As long as you don’t overdo it, some sun exposure is great for your mood and your body.

4. Notice the seasons

Even in the middle of the big cities, there are trees, planter boxes full of plants and florist stores. Even if you’re stuck indoors all day, take a moment to look out of the window, even better if you can open the window and get some fresh air!

What can you see? Are there leaves or flowers on the trees? Look up. Are clouds building? Is there a storm brewing? Or is the sun shining?

You can still reconnect with nature as you look out of the window or walk down the street. That will help until you can get to your favourite nature reserve or beach.