21 | Calm Your Nervous System, Emotionally Regulate, and Improve Moods with this Scientifically Proven Strategy! (Part 1)

Hey friends, welcome back to Intentional Motherhood! I’m your host, Kelsey Redd, former mental health counselor turned mindful mama of four — here to help you create a family culture rooted in presence, peace, and purpose.

In this first episode of a two-part series, we explore the incredible role of nature in emotional regulation — for both you and your kids. If you’ve ever felt overstimulated, burnt out, or like your house is buzzing with chaos, you’ll learn how unstructured outdoor time can become your go-to reset button.

You’ll hear about:

• The science behind nature’s calming effect on your nervous system
• Why kids need unsupervised, screen-free play outside
• The Japanese practice of forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku)
• Wisdom from Indigenous and ancient healing traditions
• How nature can reduce anxiety, improve behavior, and increase resilience
• A 2-minute guided nature meditation you can do anywhere

Plus, I’ll guide you through a simple action plan to bring more peace and play into your week. Find out more about my upcoming Women's Retreat here.

Subscribe now, share this show with a mom friend, and join the conversation! 

Connect with Kelsey:

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 @creating.intentional.mothers

Episode Transcript

Kelsey (00:09):
Hey friends, welcome back to Intentional Motherhood.
I'm your host, Kelsey Redd. Andyou found the podcast for all
you ambitious mamas who arebalancing little kids, big
dreams, and intentional familylife. And I want to remind you

(00:29):
before we go any farther that Ihave a bunch of freebies that
I'm starting to prepare for youguys and linking in either the
show notes or on my link in mybio on Instagram at
creating.intentional.mothers.This is just my way of helping
you in any way I can.
And I've noticed that as I'mtalking, there are sometimes

(00:51):
things that I want you toactually be able to practice
afterwards or work through alittle bit more. So I've just
started creating some of theseawesome little giveaways or
guides or planners that can helpyou. So make sure that you're
checking my link in my bio thatwill have all the links as well
as links in the show notes tolittle freebies that go along

(01:15):
with each episode. Today, we'regonna start off a two part
series on how nature canactually be an emotional anchor
for both you and your kids.We're gonna explore why
unstructured time outdoors isliterally a game changer and how

(01:38):
nature's healing power canrecharge your soul.
So grab your water, headoutside, and let's dive in.
Let's talk about why natureheals. So first of all, picture
this for a moment. You'restanding in the mountains, in

(01:58):
the trees, you see sunlightfiltering through the leaves.
You feel the breeze on your faceand you hear it rustling the
leaves around you.
Your kids are running aroundgiggling as they chase a
butterfly or find a caterpillar.And your stress is just melting
away, right? This is actuallyscience. This isn't just a nice

(02:24):
idea. Literally, this isscience.
We have proved through empiricalresearch that nature has a
profound ability to regulate ouremotions. And that's something
that both you and your kidsneed, especially in today's busy
world. So let's talk about thislike historically. For

(02:46):
centuries, cultures around theworld have turned to nature for
healing. My favorite one to talkabout is the Japanese practice
of Shinrin Yoku, or forestbathing, as you maybe have heard
of it.
This emerged in like the 1980s,but has drawn upon like the

(03:06):
ancient Shinto reverence fornature spirit. And it's all
about immersing yourself in aforest, Walking slowly,
breathing deeply, noticing thesmells and the sounds. And
studies from Japan show thatforest bathing actually lowers

(03:26):
your cortisol, it improves yourmood, and it even strengthens
your immunity. I love this. Imean, other cultures have their
own traditions as well, like theNavajo indigenous people
reverence land as a livingrelative, living being that

(03:47):
teaches balance and respect.
In the Ayurveda ancient healingsystem, nature's rhythms are
central to emotional andphysical health and healing. And
like in the medieval times inEurope, monks would give green
prescriptions, which I love. Ijust love this idea. What if the

(04:11):
prescriptions that we gave thesedays weren't for pills, but were
for nature and green and trees,like garden walks to calm the
mind? These practices have beenin place for centuries and
generations, and then theyremind us that we aren't

(04:34):
actually doing things the newright way.
We've actually gotten away fromwhat has been proven to be
healing for years. And as amental health therapist, I have
thought about this so much and Ihave constantly emphasized the
need for getting outside,getting active, being in nature,

(04:56):
and seeing how that can heal themind and the spirit. And now as
a mom, I'm right back into itwith my kids and myself. I know,
I literally can tell when weneed outside time. It's the
moment when kids are going crazyinside, everyone is bouncing off
the walls, right?

(05:17):
That phrase brings to mind thatthis image of kids literally
just like so unregulated crazyenergy inside the house. And to
me, that's my signal, we needoutside time. And that's
literally exactly the words Iuse to tell my kids. I say,
okay, everyone, we need outsidetime. Go to the backyard or get

(05:38):
in the car because we're goingto a park.
We have got to get outside. Sofor all you moms out there,
nature is a reset button. Itcuts through the overwhelm of
parenting lots of energetickids. For your kids, nature and
outside time is a playground foremotional growth. Research shows

(06:00):
that kids who spend time innature have lower anxiety,
better focus, and strongerresilience.
It's like a natural therapysession, no appointment needed.
And this is literally what I'vebeen preaching since I've been a
mental health counselor for thelast decade. Okay, so let's geek

(06:22):
out a little more on the sciencehere just for a minute because I
love this stuff. I love theneurobiology. It's so
fascinating to me.
So when you're in nature, yourbrain shifts gears. The
prefrontal cortex, which is likeyour to do list brain, which is
super important as mom and askids trying to keep track of all

(06:42):
the things we need to do tolearn, making those logical
decisions. But when we're innature, that part of the brain,
the prefrontal cortex, gets alittle break and our
parasympathetic nervous systemkicks in. The parasympathetic
nervous system is the calmingsystem. This is what allows us
to regulate emotions.

(07:04):
And time in nature turns on theparasympathetic nervous system,
allowing your body to calm down.A study from 2019 found that
even just twenty minutes in apark or in a forest lowers
stress hormones significantly.So for moms juggling tantrums,

(07:28):
that might be what you need. Andfor kids, nature is even more
powerful. In 2021, there was astudy published in Pediatrics
Journal, which showed that kidswith regular outdoor time have
better emotional regulation andfewer behavioral issues.

(07:50):
Why could that be? Well, becausenature stimulates their senses
without overloading them. Notlike screens and crowded indoor
spaces and all the busyness thatkids are typically
overstimulated by. Nature is asafe space to just process big

(08:10):
feelings and it is a soothing,calming sensory experience
rather than an overstimulatingsensory experience. So this
helps when your toddler'smelting down and suddenly they
start to calm down while they'rechasing leaves or playing in a

(08:30):
brook outside.
So unstructured, unsupervisedoutdoor time is especially key
for kids. This is when we allowour kids to just be free to
explore. Climbing trees, diggingin dirt, yes, getting dirty,
It's okay. It's not hurtinganyone. It's actually so good
for them.

(08:51):
Or just daydreaming, looking upthe clouds. Can you imagine a
kid who has the calmness andfocus to just lay and watch the
clouds move in slow motionversus the experience of sitting
in front of a screen andwatching the bright bouncing
colors and sounds of the showsthat they sometimes spend their

(09:14):
time watching. It's a totallydifferent experience. And it
allows them to calm down,increase their focus, build
confidence when they're climbingand exploring and pushing their
physical limits, learn problemsolving skills, and even just

(09:34):
grow in their creativity andimaginative play, which we know
is so critical for things likeempathy and compassion and
social interactions in theirfuture. So it's not about
structured play dates or evenlike sports teams.
It's letting the kids lead withminimal supervision. Of course,

(09:56):
we need to ensure their safetyand make sure that we're
protecting them, but giving themspace to roam fosters
independence. And as a mom offour little ones, I know it's
sometimes scary to loosen thereins, but like a backyard or
even a fenced in park can be agreat way to start practicing

(10:16):
this skill for moms and kids.Honestly, I think both moms and
kids have to learn the skill, itmight not come naturally, it's a
skill they have to learn ofbeing able to explore within
safe boundaries. And for moms,it's about learning to allow our
kids to explore within safeboundaries.

(10:39):
So I want to bring nature intoyour mind right now here with
just a two minute meditationinspired by this idea of forest
bathing. So if you're in a safespot and you can close your eyes
or soften your gaze, I encourageyou to do that. If you're
driving or multitasking, justlisten and breathe. Slowly take

(11:04):
a breath in through your noseand just imagine the scent of
pine trees or maybe a freshgrass. Exhale through your
mouth, letting tension slipaway.
One more inhale deeply feelingthe cool fresh air. Exhale

(11:27):
releasing any worries. Pictureyourself in a beautiful lush
forest. Sunlight on the treesand the leaves. You feel this
warmth of the sun on your face.
Hear the rustle of the branchesor maybe the chirp of the birds

(11:51):
around you. Feel your feetplanted on the earth grounding
you. And with each breath, letnature's calm just flow into
you. Inhale peace. Exhale anystress.

(12:20):
Notice in this forest thatyou're imagining that there's so
much living around you, thetree, the stream. Let it remind
you of your own strength andyour own resilience. Stay here

(12:41):
for just a moment longerbreathing in harmony with nature
and letting go of any stress.And when you're ready, go ahead
and wiggle your fingers. Take adeep breath and return to your
natural rhythm feelingrefreshed.

(13:04):
So how do you feel after thatquick little just mental
exercise? I hope you feel alittle more grounded because I
want you to realize that that'sthe power of connecting with
nature even just for a momentand even just in your
imagination. And props to you ifyou can get outside and do the
exact same meditation andexercise in nature with real

(13:29):
trees around you, or even justin your backyard, barefoot in
the grass. Because for you, asthe mom, nature is such a good
way to recharge you so that youcan show up as the intentional,
compassionate, present mom thatyou are. And for your kids, it's
such a great space to growemotionally and creatively.

(13:54):
So here's your action plan untilpart two, the next episode
releases. I want you to spendfifteen minutes outside with
your kids in unstructuredplaytime. Letting them explore
without a plan and that they'regonna maybe come up to you and
say, I'm bored, I'm bored. Andyou say, Perfect. Go find

(14:14):
something to explore.
Awesome. Can you go find me abug? Cool, go see if you can
find a heart shaped leaf. That'sone thing we love to do. And
then try one nature basedmeditation or self care practice
that you might like.

(14:35):
Maybe it's just a mindful walkoutside or breathing in the
shade of a beautiful tree. Dosomething just for you in
nature. And then of coursereflect. Maybe even write down
why nature matters to you andyour family and why you're
committing to make it a biggerpart of your family culture. And

(14:56):
next week in part two, we'lldive into the practical ways to
make nature a daily habit, whymoms need immersive nature
experiences like even healingretreats, and how to balance the
safety with freedom for kids.
So that's it for part one.Remember, you are building a

(15:18):
family culture rooted in love,growth, connection, and nature
is your ally in that. So join menext time for part two, and keep
nurturing yourself and yourlittle ones and try doing in
nature this week. You're doing agreat job. I'll see you next

(15:38):
time on Intentional Motherhood.