Jay Maddock, a professor of public health at Texas A&M University, reports that spending time with nature can have a positive effect on our mental health.  According to Maddock, “Spending even a short amount of time in nature has been shown to improve mood and reduce stress.”  He goes to say, “There are noticeable benefits in as little as 10 minutes at a time and some emerging evidence that two hours a week is beneficial to mental health.”