When the World Feels Heavy: How Nature, Movement, and Retreats Can Help a Low Season Feel Lighter

Some seasons of life are bright on the outside and quiet on the inside. You show up for work, help your family, answer messages, and keep moving, yet a steady ache tags along. Depression and persistent sadness are far more common than most of us realize, and many people carry them quietly. The World Health Organization estimates that roughly four to six percent of adults worldwide are living with depression, and U.S. data suggest that more than 21 million adults experience a major depressive episode in a given year. These are not small numbers. They are our neighbors, our friends, and sometimes us. (World Health Organization+1). At Planning Wellness, we are all about staying healthy and focusing on mental health.

Mental wellness is part of whole-person wellness. It does not sit in a separate room, waiting for a better day. It weaves through sleep, movement, nutrition, social connection, work, purpose, and the places we spend time. When the world feels heavy and the headlines are relentless, our nervous systems feel it. Research during and after the pandemic linked high exposure to distressing news and social feeds to more anxiety and depressive symptoms. Turning down the noise is not denial. It is care. (PMC)

What helps in real life is rarely one magic fix. Most people do best with a mix of supports, and professional care is often essential. At the same time, simple, natural practices can make a meaningful difference, especially for mild to moderate symptoms or as add-ons to therapy. Here is what current evidence says about a few of those practices, and why a well-designed retreat can bring them together in a powerful way.

Nature changes our state

Time in green and blue spaces does more than look pretty in photos. Meta analyses suggest that exposure to nature and access to green spaces are associated with lower depression and anxiety. Even short bouts of time in natural environments can lift mood. Quality matters, and so does simply getting outside. (ScienceDirect+1)

There is also something uniquely soothing about awe. In one study, older adults who took

weekly “awe walks” reported more positive emotions and less daily distress over eight weeks. Awe seems to shrink self focus in a healthy way and reconnect us to something larger than our own thoughts. That shift matters when rumination has been loud. (PMC)

Movement helps even when motivation is low

You do not have to train for a marathon to see relief. A 2024 JAMA Network Open review of 33 studies found that simply reaching about 7,000 steps per day was associated with a lower risk of depression compared with fewer steps. The message is hopeful. Small increases count. (JAMA Network)

Exercise more broadly shows moderate benefits for depressive symptoms, with walking or

jogging, yoga, and strength training performing well in randomized trials. If you are imagining something gentle and doable, you are right. Consistency beats intensity. (BMJ)

Mindfulness can prevent the slide back down

Mindfulness is not a trend. For people who have experienced recurrent depression, the U.K.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends group mindfulness based

cognitive therapy as an option for relapse prevention. In other words, learning the skills to notice thoughts and feelings with less judgment can reduce the chances of getting pulled back under. (NICE)

Looking forward is medicine too

Part of what makes a low season feel endless is the sense that nothing good is on the horizon. Psychology research shows that anticipating an experience often brings more happiness than anticipating a thing. Planning a future outing or trip gives your brain a positive place to land, which can buffer the daily stress load. (PubMed+1)

It is also true that the lift from a typical vacation can fade soon after we return to routines. That is not a reason to skip rest. It is a reason to be intentional about what we do while we are away, and what we carry home. (PubMed)

Why a retreat can help...

Okay, so let’s get to the good stuff! A thoughtfully designed retreat gathers the practices above and focuses them. There is unhurried time outdoors. There is movement that meets you where you are. There is guided mindfulness so you do not have to figure it out alone. There is community, which softens isolation and reminds you that you are not the only person finding your way through hard things.

Early studies of wellness and meditation retreats suggest improvements across stress, mood, and sleep that can persist for several weeks. The research is still growing, and many trials are small, but the pattern is encouraging. The strongest benefits seem to come from programs that combine lifestyle practices like movement, mindfulness, nutritious food, rest, and social support. (PMC+1)

Group settings matter here as well. For depression, cognitive behavioral therapies are effective in many formats, including groups, which tells us that healing does not always require a one to one model. Shared effort and shared language can feel safer than going it alone. (JAMA Network)

What this looks like in practice

Imagine three anchors over a long weekend. First, daily movement that is approachable. Slow beach walks, light strength sessions, or yoga designed for real bodies. Second, guided

mindfulness in short doses, linked to nature and breath. Third, time that is protected from screens and news so your attention can rest. This is not about escape. It is about practicing skills in a setting that makes them easier, then bringing those skills back home.

On the science side, you are giving your brain and body multiple paths to feel better. Nature

calms stress physiology and broadens perspective. Movement nudges mood chemistry and

restores healthy fatigue. Mindfulness trains attention and reduces relapse risk. Anticipation

before the retreat and meaning after the retreat extend the arc of the benefit. (PubMed+3ScienceDirect+3JAMA Network+3). Retreats in nature can be the perfect option.

A soft invitation to step toward lighter days

When life feels heavy, you deserve practices that are simple, kind, and grounded in evidence. Step outside and let your eyes find the horizon. Walk a little more than yesterday. Breathe on purpose. Put something good on your calendar and let yourself look forward to it. A retreat can be a reset that reminds you what steady feels like. Then the rest of life has a better chance to follow.

If this spoke to you, I would love to welcome you into a space where we practice these ideas

together. My retreats are designed for real life, not perfection. We move in ways that feel good, spend time in nature, learn simple mindfulness tools, and eat nourishing food without

overcomplicating it. If you want something to look forward to and a plan for how to carry the

calm back home, you can explore upcoming dates and join the VIP email list for first notice and travel perks. If you are not sure whether a retreat is right for you, send me a note. I am happy to talk it through and help you decide what support would serve you best.

An after-retreat mini practice to keep the light going

Think of this as a seven day bridge between the retreat and your routine. Each day has three

anchors that fit inside a busy schedule. In the morning, step outside for two minutes before you look at a screen. Feel your feet on the ground, look at the sky, and take five slow breaths where the exhale is a little longer than the inhale. At midday, take a ten minute walk at a pace that lets you breathe through your nose and notice what is around you. Trees, clouds, water, or simply the shape of light on the sidewalk. In the evening, write one sentence in a notebook about something that felt steady or kind today. It can be very small. The point is to mark it and let your nervous system register safety and goodness.

On days when motivation is low, lower the bar instead of skipping the habit. One minute

outdoors still counts. A short walk around your home still counts. A single sentence still counts. If you miss a day, begin again the next one without judgment. The goal is not to perform. The goal is to practice coming back to yourself with care.

If you want a little more structure, choose one weekend morning to create a tiny home retreat. Keep it simple. Put your phone in another room. Make a cup of tea and drink it without multitasking. Do ten gentle stretches or a slow yoga flow that feels easy on your body. Sit quietly with a hand on your heart and breathe for five minutes. Take a short walk and leave the headphones behind. Eat a meal you enjoy and take time to taste it. End with a short note to your future self about what helped and what you want to remember on a harder day. This is how you make the retreat last. Not by holding on to a perfect moment, but by weaving small, repeatable moments of care into real life.

A gentle note about help

If your sadness is deep, long lasting, or comes with thoughts of self harm, please reach out to a licensed professional. Evidence based treatments work, and a retreat or trip should complement care rather than replace it. In the United States, you can call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to talk with someone right away. SAMHSA also lists resources to find support. You are not a burden for needing help. You are human. (SAMHSA)