Yep, you read that right. According to a 2020 study by a team of scientists at Cornell University, spending just 10 minutes in a “natural setting” could have the potential to make us feel happier and lessen the effects of our mental and physical stress.

The research, which was published in Frontiers in Psychology, was completed by reviewing studies that examined the effects of nature on people of university age, in order to discover how much time should be spent outside in order to reduce stress, and what activities were most beneficial.

According to the study, just sitting in nature for 10 minutes has the same affect as going for a walk – meaning that eating our lunch outside has the potential to help us deal with the daily stress we experience at work. And this 10 minutes doesn’t just make us less stressed; the researchers found that 10-50 minutes in any natural space was the most effective to improve mood, focus and physiological markers like blood pressure and heart rate.

Burnout: why spending 10 minutes in nature could be the key to keeping your stress levels under control