Challenge
7 days closer to nature
Pick small outdoor or daylight moments. Nothing here promises a medical result in seven days, and a missed day is not a failure.
Start when you want. The days stay in this browser tab until you close it.
A missed day can be followed by the next small step. NIH describes setbacks as part of changing a habit. Nothing here is a score, and your worth does not depend on a streak.
Day 1: Daylight
Spend a few minutes in daylight: a window, doorway, bench, or short outing.
When. Once today.
An easier option. Stay by a window if going out is hard.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Sun Safety Facts Updated 2026-06-17. Checked 2026-11-03.
- National Institute of Mental Health: Seasonal Affective Disorder Updated 2023. Checked 2026-11-03.
Start the challenge to check off days.
Day 2: Ground
Notice the ground from a bench, with shoes on, or with a gloved hand on grass. Skip unsafe ground.
When. Once.
An easier option. Look at a plant indoors.
- PubMed Central: Restorative Effects from Green Exposure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Control Trials Updated 2022. Checked 2026-11-03.
- Cleveland Clinic: Is Earthing Actually Good for You? Updated 2024-04-19. Checked 2026-11-03.
This day opens on its calendar day.
Day 3: Tree or sky
Look at a tree, birds, or the sky. Do not climb or disturb wildlife.
When. A few minutes.
An easier option. Use a photo if you cannot go out.
- Cleveland Clinic: Forest Bathing: What It Is and Its Potential Benefits Updated 2023-12-06. Checked 2026-11-03.
- PubMed Central: The Psychological and Physical Effects of Forests on Human Health: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses No update date was listed. Checked 2026-11-03.
This day opens on its calendar day.
Day 4: Move outside
Walk, roll, stretch, or sit outside. There is no required distance.
When. Once.
An easier option. March in place by a window.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Adult Activity: An Overview Updated 2023-12-20. Checked 2026-11-03.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Sun Safety Facts Updated 2026-06-17. Checked 2026-11-03.
This day opens on its calendar day.
Day 5: Food from plants
Add one vegetable or fruit you already tolerate. Wash it. No food is a treatment.
When. One meal.
An easier option. Use a food you already have.
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Build a Healthy Eating Routine Updated 2021-03-26. Checked 2026-11-03.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Selecting and Serving Produce Safely No update date was listed. Checked 2026-11-03.
This day opens on its calendar day.
Day 6: Company or quiet
Share the outing, or enjoy it alone. Both count.
When. Once.
An easier option. Send a photo of the sky to someone.
- National Institutes of Health, NIH News in Health: Creating Healthy Habits Updated 2018-03. Checked 2026-11-03.
This day opens on its calendar day.
Day 7: Write one line
Note mood or energy in your own words. The note is not a diagnosis.
When. Evening.
An easier option. Skip the note. The day still counts.
- National Institutes of Health, NIH News in Health: Creating Healthy Habits Updated 2018-03. Checked 2026-11-03.
- National Institute of Mental Health: Seasonal Affective Disorder Updated 2023. Checked 2026-11-03.
This day opens on its calendar day.
Established public guidance. The daily actions point at the public pages linked on each day. Encouragement to continue after a miss comes from NIH’s habit guidance. It is not a promise of a health result.
- National Institutes of Health, NIH News in Health: Creating Healthy Habits Updated 2018-03. Checked 2026-11-03.