Step Outside for Your Mental Health

Watkins Glen State Park, NY

When my husband and I need to reset, we pack up our camper and head to the mountains, Riley, our Lab mix, curled up in the back seat. One of our favorite places is Watkins Glen State Park in New York, where waterfalls tumble down mossy cliffs, and the scent of wet stone and pine fills the air. After just a day of hiking along the gorge, we feel renewed, grounded, and somehow lighter.

Forest Bathing

There’s a good reason for that. Time spent outdoors isn’t just enjoyable, it’s healing. The mental health benefits of nature are well-documented: time outside can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve mood and sleep, enhance creativity, and even lower blood pressure. In Japan, the practice of shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing,” is recognized as a form of preventive medicine. It encourages people to immerse themselves in nature, not to exercise, but simply to be present among the trees, breathing deeply and taking in the forest with all five senses.

Nature in Our Own Backyard

Fortunately, we don’t need to drive to New York to access this kind of restoration. One of the many things we love about living and working in the Kentlands is the abundance of beautiful, walkable green space. The walking paths around Lake Inspiration and Lake Helene, the quiet paths around Quarry Pond Park, and the tree-lined walkways of Main Street offer more than just scenery; they offer opportunities to reset our minds and bodies.

Walking Therapy

Inspiration Lake Trail

At Kentlands Psychotherapy, we believe in meeting people where they are, and sometimes, that means meeting them outside. Several of our clinicians offer walking appointments, which combine the benefits of talk therapy with the calming, grounding effect of movement and nature. These sessions are ideal for people who find it easier to open up when walking side by side, or who feel more focused and less self-conscious outside the office.

Getting Outside and Feeling Better

You don’t need a therapist to start reaping the benefits, though. Even a ten-minute stroll through your neighborhood, without your phone, can shift your mindset and lower your stress. Try leaving your earbuds at home and paying attention instead to the birdsong, the breeze on your skin, or the way the light reflects off the water. Think of it as a mini forest bath, right here in Gaithersburg.

We are so lucky to live in a neighborhood designed for walking. With lakes, trees, and well-connected paths all around us, getting outside is as easy as stepping out your door. Your mental health and your dog will thank you.

Our Top 5 Suggested Lesser-Known Regional Hikes:

1. Watkins Glen State Park, Watkins Glen, New York
2. Falls Trail, Ricketts Glen State Park, Benton, Pennsylvania
3. Roaring Run Loop Trail, Jefferson National Forest, Eagle Rock, Virginia
4. Black Water Falls Boardwalk, Black Water Falls State Park, Davis, West Virginia
5. Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Atlanta, Georgia

This piece was originally published in the Kentlands & Lakelands Living Magazine in