Trees can help you focus.
What? You may ask? How does this work?
Will I need to sit under a tree in order to focus or concentrate? Or hug one?
Do I need to walk amongst them? Or, is it enough to see them from a distance?
Consider this: there is now a significant amount of research to support the idea that spending time among trees can help us focus better, reduce stress, and buffer against depression. When we spend so much of our time working in front of a computer screen these days, how can the ability to focus be improved by something as simple as this? I have spoken to many coaching clients over the years who describe sitting in front of the computer, trying to concentrate, and many minutes or even hours passing with nothing to show for it. It may seem counterintuitive, yet there are many excellent reasons for stepping away from the task at hand to find the company of trees.
The many benefits of trees
- To start with, trees can benefit you by reducing mental fatigue and resetting your attention.
- Getting outside for time in nature can provide you with a new perspective. A change of environment offers new things to look at, which stimulates your brain in ways which don’t happen when you are sitting still looking at a screen.
- Trees create a calming atmosphere, reducing stress hormones like cortisol. Less stress means fewer distractions and better focus.
- Trees absorb pollutants and increase oxygen levels, which raises air quality and enhances brain function and concentration.
- Giving the brain a break from screens and artificial light, while surrounded by trees and exposed to natural light, can help refocus when returning to work.
- Additionally, natural sounds experienced while spending time amongst trees, such as wind sighing through the branches, birdsong, and the sounds of other wildlife, provide a soothing background in contrast to the potential distractions of a noisy office.
- The movement involved in walking in wooded areas or engaging in outdoor activities stimulates the production of dopamine. This vital neurotransmitter plays a crucial role in maintaining focus and motivation.
Movement has various benefits for focus.
Using the large muscles in the legs is grounding and calming, compared to sitting still. The body and brain become better oxygenated, and other chemicals are produced, for instance, nitric oxide, which helps cognitive functions such as learning and memory.
If you want to train your ability to pay attention, then practising mindfulness near trees—observing their textures, sounds, and smells— trains the brain to stay present, reducing rumination and intrusive thoughts that disrupt attention. Training attention in this way can be invaluable for many with ADHD brain types.
Trees can help soothe and regulate a jangly nervous system.
Trees reduce overstimulation and feelings of stress, and thereby promote activation of the parasympathetic nervous system (also known as rest and digest mode). Therefore, the ADHD nervous system in particular gets a welcome break from being frequently in a state of sympathetic nervous system activation arousal (also known as fight, flight, or freeze mode).
Hugging trees can be particularly beneficial.
Tree hugging stimulates the production of oxytocin, the “trust” hormone. “Studies show that people who regularly hug trees report feeling happier, calmer, and less stressed,” quoted from https://silvotherapy.co.uk/articles/benefits-of-hugging-trees.
Whether through visual exposure, movement, or mindful engagement, trees help regulate attention and sustain concentration.
Here are a few simple and practical ways to increase your focus with trees:
Take a mini tree break.
- Simply observing a tree in detail, such as its bark texture, leaf movement, and sounds, will engage your senses and help refocus attention.
When could you fit in 5-10 minutes to give yourself this kind of mental reset?
Watch trees out of a window.
- Improve your concentration and cognitive performance by looking at trees through a window if you’re feeling particularly short of time.
How will you recognise when it’s time to top up your focus levels?
Boost Dopamine with Tree-Based Movement.
- Walking, hiking, or even stretching near trees encourages the release of dopamine, which is crucial for motivation and sustained attention.
How could you incorporate a “focus prowl” in a tree-lined area before or between work sessions to reset and refocus?
Reduce Sensory Distractions with Natural Sounds.
- Nature sounds (rustling leaves, birds) provide soft fascination, a type of background stimulation that can create a calmer environment for deep work.
Have you tried playing nature soundscape tapes to help you focus yet?
Use tree-based sensory cues indoors.
- Even when the cold or wet weather makes it challenging to experience the advantages of trees outdoors, you can gain their benefits by using sensory-tailored cues indoors.
Here is a selection of tree-based sensory cues you could try:
- Olfactory cues (smell): Essential oils of pine, fir, and eucalyptus can promote calm alertness. You can use diffusers or simply add a few drops to a tissue, which works just as well.
- Visual cues: Houseplants or a bonsai tree can reduce stress and restore focus. You could also try paintings of landscapes on a wall or images of forests or greenery as a screensaver for a calming effect.
- Tactile cues (touch): Tree bark, driftwood, a pine cone, and wooden beads all have different textures to explore, handle and provide a grounding break.
There are so many ways to bring the benefits of trees into your life, your home and your workplace when you need a boost in focus and concentration. I’d love to hear about any strategies you have for improving focus that involve trees or time in nature.
Please do get in touch with me to share your experiences or thoughts at adhdcoachanna@gmail.com.
