THE SEVENS IN THE DECK OF CARE ENCOURAGE YOU TO SPEND MORE TIME IN NATURE AND TO APPRECIATE THAT YOU ARE PART OF SOMETHING MUCH LARGER.

Research shows that time outdoors, especially in green spaces, improves our physical and mental health. It reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, improves cognitive performance and can draw out pro-social behaviors like cooperation. The causal chain is still a bit unknown but researchers are exploring the effects of the smells, sounds, and views that come with being outdoors - each of which give our body something wonderful to explore. Each of the Sevens encourage you to get outdoors and each give a way to mindfully interact with nature.

Seven of Hearts - Appreciating Beauty

The Seven of Hearts encourages you to find something beautiful in nature and spend time soaking it in. The world is full of breathtaking views - from the texture on a pebble to the deep colors of a sunset - and spending time cherishing these can be awe-inspiring. Try a sense and savor walk where you walk slowly and carefully explore your surroundings, or just sit down and bask in your view. There is always beauty to be found if you’re looking.

Seven of Spades - Admiring Complexity

The Seven of Spades encourages you to spend time admiring something complex in nature - like how an insect’s thin legs still have firm mobility or how a bee can help to create fruit. Our natural world is full of amazing complexity and interdependencies. Taking time to really look can inspire wonder and spark creativity. 

Seven of Clubs - Looking Up

The Seven of Diamonds encourages you to look up and savor the beauty of the sky. The natural world is enormous and rarely is that clearer than when we look up and see how much there is above us. Taking time to soak in the beauty of the world above us can help grant us perspective on how large the world around us is - and what a small but meaningful part of it we are.

Seven of Diamonds - Taking Perspective

The Seven of Diamonds encourages you to step back and remember that you are a part of something much larger than yourself. It’s a natural part of the human condition to feel isolated, as if we are the only thing experiencing our world. Like with the shared humanity reminder in the self-compassion break (Five of Hearts), the Seven of Diamonds encourages you to consider yourself as one part of a much larger system - the natural world. Remembering that you are part of something can be a grounding experience, allowing you to soften your emotional extremes and granting a sense of belonging.

Final Thoughts

New research suggests that the tipping point for getting the most benefit from time outdoors is about 2 hours a week regardless of how it’s spread out. While this will definitely be an evolving research topic, it’s a promising indicator that you can fit in nature however it works in your calendar, be it small walks every day or one long trip to a park over the weekend. Fit in time outdoors when you can for as long as you can - even just 15 minutes is shown to reduce stress.