At some point in everyone’s life, they will face challenges. Whether it’s school, work, relationships, or random events they stumble upon, we know that adversity is a part of life. In some cases these challenges may even be traumatic. But what gets us through? What do we have as humans that pushes us past the challenge, to overcome? More than that, how do we develop more of this ability?

Close relationships are vital to our health in ways we may not realize every day. We do notice how good it feels to be praised by a loved one, to get a comforting hug or reassurance in times of sadness, and to be cheered on by our friends and family. But just how much power do these relationships have on our emotional health?

If you’ve ever stood in the middle of a meadow, gone for a hike, or spent the day on the ocean, you may have found a sense of peace, calm, or connectedness overcome you. There is something about being in nature that melts the stress away. It turns out, that research would agree with you! Nature has been shown to have significant positive impacts on stress reduction and overall mental health, encouraging more people to get outside for the sake of their health.