★ PTSDIY · Field Manual ★ Part III ★
Chapter 16
Nature and outdoor time
Get outside the wire
FM 16-NAT-101Weekly target 2 hrs
16-1.Mission brief
Indoors, a hypervigilant brain scans walls, doors and people. Outside, attention spreads out. Many people with PTSD find open space is the one place their shoulders drop.
16-2.Intel
A large 2019 study linked at least 120 minutes a week in nature with better health and wellbeing. Outdoor programs for veterans, such as fishing, hiking and wilderness trips, report promising results in early studies.
16-3.Field procedures
| 01 | Go daily, even brieflyTwenty minutes in a park, on a trail, by water. | 20 min |
| 02 | Leave the phone in your pocketLet attention wander to sounds, light, wind. | — |
| 03 | Hit two hours a weekSpread across the week or in one long outing. | weekly |
| 04 | CombineStack with Chapter 12 (ruck a trail) or Chapter 27 (go with a group). | — |
16-4.Rules of engagement
For some people, woods or rough terrain are themselves triggers. Pick terrain that doesn't resemble where you were hurt, and build toward harder places slowly if you want to.
16-5.Common faults & corrections
| ✕ | Fault: Waiting for a big tripCorrection: Ten minutes outside today beats a week off you never take. |
Companion episode — [IN PROGRESS]
PTSDIY · FM 16-NAT-101 · Part III16