The Gifts From Nature You Forgot to Notice

How recognizing nature’s daily support can expand your gratitude and well-being

Posted November 14, 2025 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch

As the season of gratitude approaches, most of us begin to think about the people, opportunities, and experiences that enrich our lives. These matter deeply. But in my work exploring the rewilding of the human mind, I’ve found that one of the greatest sources of support in our lives is something we rarely acknowledge—because it’s all around us, all the time.

Nature gives to us continuously: air to breathe, light to regulate our sleep, sounds that soothe the nervous system , patterns that calm the mind, and environments that restore our attention . These contributions are so constant that they often remain invisible.

In my recent TEDxBentonville talk, I spoke about the most endangered habitat being within us—and how reconnecting with the living world plays a crucial role in restoring it. What we often forget is that nature is already supporting us every day in ways we barely notice. Research is beginning to illuminate just how vital those contributions truly are.

What Science Reveals About Gratitude

Gratitude is widely recognized as one of the most powerful positive emotions. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that gratitude interventions significantly improve life satisfaction and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety . 1 Additional research shows that gratitude practices are associated with a range of physical health benefits—including better sleep quality, improved cardiovascular functioning, and healthier inflammatory profiles—according to a 2023 systematic review of gratitude interventions. 2

Recent studies also show that gratitude directed toward the natural world—sometimes called ecological gratitude —enhances well-being and environmental care. 3

When we bring the science of gratitude together with the science of nature’s impact on well-being, something powerful happens: each deepens the other. Gratitude sharpens our awareness of what the natural world gives us, and nature expands the field in which gratitude can arise. The two practices amplify one another.

What Nature Provides Every Day

Every day, without effort, the living world supports us in ways vital to our lives. Plants and marine algae generate the oxygen we breathe; natural light regulates our hormones , mood, and sleep. Environmental psychology shows that brief, ordinary interactions—glancing at trees, hearing birds, or feeling the shift of air on the skin—can restore attention, reduce rumination, and soothe the nervous system. 4,5 Research on forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) echoes these findings, showing that slow, sensory immersion in natural environments reduces cortisol, steadies the autonomic nervous system, and improves mood. 6

Many of us move through our days in a kind of low-level hurry, rarely pausing long enough to feel the moment we’re actually living. But even a brief return to the natural world—stepping outside between meetings, opening a window, noticing the color of the sky—can interrupt that momentum. These small moments of contact don’t just feel good; they are good for us.

Relationship: Gratitude as Connection

Many Indigenous traditions view gratitude as an ongoing relationship with the more-than-human world. Rather than a fleeting emotion , gratitude is understood as a way of living—an ethic of reciprocity that acknowledges our responsibilities to the land, waters, and all our ecological kin. 7 Modern psychology echoes this through the science of awe —an emotion that expands perspective, softens ego, and increases prosocial behavior. 8

Nature is one of the strongest elicitors of awe. Research suggests that awe often arises not from dramatic vistas but from quiet, sensory-rich encounters—light moving through leaves, the rhythm of wind, the texture of bark. 9 When we acknowledge what the living world provides—oxygen, rhythm, restoration—we shift from gratitude as an internal exercise to gratitude as ecological connection.

Through the lens of the rewilding mind, gratitude becomes:

In a time when many of us feel disconnected, overwhelmed, or depleted, the living world continues to offer support—quietly, reliably, generously.

This season, let’s take time to bring to mind the infinite gifts nature freely bestows on us each day: It steadies our attention, calms our physiology, supports our mood, and restores our sense of belonging. Seeing gratitude through the lens of the rewilding mind helps us notice these everyday contributions. This practice will deepen gratitude, strengthen connection, and help us feel more fully alive.

Diniz, G., Korkes, L., Tristão, L. S., Pelegrini, R., Bellodi, P. L., & Bernardo, W. M. (2023). The effects of gratitude interventions: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Einstein (São Paulo) , 21 , eRW0371.
Wang, X., & Song, C. (2023). The impact of gratitude interventions on patients with cardiovascular disease: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 14 , 1243598.
Tam, Kim-Pong. (2021). Gratitude to nature: Presenting a theory of its conceptualization, measurement, and effects on pro-environmental behavior. Journal of Environmental Psychology . 79. 101754. 10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101754.
Berman, M. G., et al. (2008). The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological Science, 19 (12), 1207–1212.
Bratman, G. N., et al. (2019). Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective. Science Advances, 5 (7), eaax0903.
Hansen, M. M., Jones, R., & Tocchini, K. (2017). Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) and nature therapy: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14 (8), 851.
Kimmerer, R. W. (2013). Braiding sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants. Milkweed Editions.
Bai, Y., et al. (2017). Awe, the diminished self, and collective engagement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113 (2), 185–209.
Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The experience of nature: A psychological perspective. Cambridge University Press.

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Dana Klisanin, Ph.D. , is a psychologist exploring the use of media and digital technologies to support human flourishing. Her research focuses on mindfulness, altruism, and new forms of heroism.

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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.