I’ve been stressed out and a bit overcooked recently, so I knew I needed a little shake up. Sometimes it’s the littlest things that will shock you out of your funk, so I tried doing a few of my usual habits a bit differently.

While on my walk, I decided to go for a different route, and when I reached a park, I stepped off the path and found a nice patch of grass to sit on.

Now, in Australia this is no easy feat either so many ants and other creepy crawlers, but this afternoon was lovely. Despite being winter still, it was a balmy 21 degrees and the sun was still warm. With the sun setting in about 40minutes, I settled down to enjoy its last rays.

Birds flitted about, chirping or singing to each other as they found their way home for the evening. Fluffy grey magpie babies eyed me from afar, curious about the large creature in their same black and white colours. A rather plump butcher bird perched on the fence nearby, keeping me company while he watched for his dinner to surface on the ground. There! He shot down to nab something in the grass, tossing his head back to gobble it down. Then back to his perch to resume the watch.

People strolled past on the path a few hundred metres away, walking sniffing dogs or questioning children. Cyclists rung their bells and avoided the turkeys who refused to make way for anyone else.

The winds ruffled the grasses and shook loose the gum leaves which rained down around us, all enjoying the shared space.

All the while, I lay stretched out on the grass watching the fluffy clouds change shape and dance across the sky. I must have spent about half an hour like that, just enjoying it as I recharged.

That’s certainly the word for it—recharged. Either way my bare legs and hands on the cool grass, I can hardly describe the sensation. We’re always told that grass and plants have a negative charge, but it’s not until you reconnect with it that you finally remember. This study found that touching real grass actually lowered blood pressure and heightened the participant’s brainwaves, suggesting that “engaging with real grass through touch potentially alleviates mental stress”.

If you’re anything like me, you’re always stuck thinking that life is too busy to waste time with such a trivial thing as lying on the grass. Unfortunately I am already a convert, and I believe this is exactly the kind of thing we need to be doing more of.

With the amount of time we spend on our phones or computers each day, we are literally marinating in these digital spheres all day. It’s too easy to get caught up in the digital world, where bodies are perfectly thin and toned, clothes are styled to perfection, hair and makeup is flawless, and where travel, relationships, and lifestyles are picture-perfect.

We may not be able to escape all this yet, but we can work on limiting it, and counteracting it with positive moves. Sitting in nature is always good for us, touching grass and plants helps to ground us, and looking at waterscapes has all sorts of benefits that we are still exploring.

So how can you connect with nature more in your life? I’m sure there are more opportunities and ways out there than you first think, so give it a go and let me know how it goes!