a woman watering on a roof garden
Body & Soul
30.07.2025 Gabriele Strasser 15811

Reduce stress: 7 tips for city dwellers

Going out into nature for 20 minutes three times a week has been proven to reduce stress. Seven tips on how city dwellers can also experience nature in small ways to improve their well-being.

Imagine you could take a pill that has been proven to reduce your stress. You would only have to remember to take the pill three times a week and your whole life would be more relaxed. Your mental and physical well-being would demonstrably improve and you could even measure this effect. Would you take this pill?

Well, this pill is within reach and it is simply called: get out into nature!
A remarkable study that prescribed city dwellers to experience nature for just ten minutes at least three times a week illustrates just how great the effect of a "nature pill" is. The relaxing effect was proven using saliva samples.

"Natural pill" reduces stress

The results showed that even very short nature experiences led to a significant reduction in cortisol and alpha-amylase - two stress markers in the human body. The greatest benefit for the test subjects of the "nature pill" was measured when the testers spent between 20 and 30 minutes in nature - the exact time of the nature experience did not matter.

A number of studies also show that experiencing nature not only increases well-being, but can also promote personal development by strengthening aspects such as self-esteem, creativity, social skills and environmental awareness. Researchers have also found that spending time in nature promotes a sense of connection, autonomy and personal development.

Get out into the countryside, whatever the time!

It doesn't matter whether the "nature experience" takes place in the morning, afternoon or evening. The time can be chosen based on individual factors such as energy levels, preferences or daily planning. Some like to start in the morning to start the day full of energy, others prefer the afternoon for an activity and some prefer to relax in the evening.

Choose the time that best suits your daily routine and well-being and pay attention to how the activity affects your mood.

 


 

Seven tips for experiencing nature in the city

Cities also offer numerous opportunities to experience nature in a relaxing way. Community gardens, parks and rivers offer city dwellers green recreational spaces:

1. small picnic on a meadow

Take a blanket and sit down for 20-30 minutes on a green area or at the edge of a small pond. Enjoy a small snack or a drink and take in the surroundings.

2. meditation or yoga outdoors

Find a quiet place outside, be it in the park, on a green space or on your planted balcony. Meditate for 10-15 minutes or do a short yoga session. Focus on your breath and the natural surroundings.

3. observe animals in the park

Go to a place where you can observe animals, such as a pond with ducks or a park with squirrels and birds. Take 20-30 minutes to observe the animals' behavior and enjoy the nature around you.

4. visit a rooftop or community garden

Visit a community garden or a rooftop garden. These places often offer a surprising amount of greenery and nature in the city. Enjoy the plants and flowers and perhaps also the conversation with other nature lovers.

5. take a short bike tour through green districts

Take a short bike ride through the greenest neighborhoods in your city. Even a 20-minute tour can help you connect with nature and get some fresh air.

6. concentrate on the sounds of nature

Sit down in a quiet place, such as a park, and consciously listen to the sounds of nature around you. The chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves or the sound of running water can be very relaxing.

7. watch the sunset or sunrise

Find a place with a good view, such as a bridge, a hill or a skyscraper roof, and watch the sun set or rise. The natural colors and play of light can have a calming effect and energize you for the day or evening.


 

Sources:

Hunter, M. R., Gillespie, B. W., & Chen, S. Y.-P. (2020). "Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers." Health & Place)

Vitalizing effects of being outdoors and in nature, Richard M. Ryan, Netta Weinstein, Jessey Bernstein, Kirk Warren Brown, Louis Mistretta, Marylène Gagné, Published in: Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

zero Post-stress syndrome: sick as soon as vacation arrives

A young man sits by the pool with a blanket wrapped around him and blows his nose
Psyche
20.06.2025 Kerstin Altrock 39172

Avoid post-stress syndrome on vacation: Here's how!

The summer vacations are just around the corner and then this: migraines, infections, stomach problems. As soon as you've packed your suitcase, you're already lying flat and your vacation is over before it's even begun. Post-stress syndrome - also known as leisure sickness syndrome - strikes stressed people whenever they switch into recovery mode.

At a glance: 

Post-stress syndrome often occurs when people under stress go on vacation and suddenly fall ill. Researchers at the University of Trier have found that people with high stress levels are particularly affected, which manifests itself in symptoms such as migraines, infections or stomach problems. The lack of noradrenaline during recovery is one possible cause.

According to a recent study by IU University, it can be directly linked to stress in everyday working life.

Strategies for coping include good stress management and regular exercise before going on vacation. A test called "Neuropattern" can help to determine the individual risk and take appropriate measures.

 

While others are well rested and tanned and talking about their vacation adventures, have you spent most of your time in bed? "Why does this always happen to me?" you ask yourself. In fact, it's usually the same people who regularly fall ill when their vacation is just around the corner.

This was discovered by a group of researchers from the University of Trier. They surveyed around 1,500 healthy test subjects and patients with acute physical or mental illnesses. The result: healthy people with little stress only very rarely suffer from post-stress symptoms (2.3 percent). In the mentally ill test subjects, the symptoms occurred in 20 to 35 percent.

Leisure sickness: high work pressure puts a strain on many

The phenomenon of "leisure sickness" or post-stress syndrome is not a recognized illness, but it is more than just a figment of the imagination. According to Prof. Dr. Stefanie André, an expert in health management at IU International University, it can be directly linked to stress in everyday working life.

In the representative study "Leisure Sickness: Exhausted instead of recovered" (2025), 1.9 percent of employees report so-called leisure sickness - i.e. physical complaints such as exhaustion or symptoms of illness that occur on days off or on vacation.

The results of the IU study clearly show what is bothering many employees:

  • High working pressure (33.7 %)
  • Lack of support from superiors and colleagues (30.0%)
  • Unclear distribution of tasks (23.4 %)
  • Unbalanced work-life balance (20.8 %)
  • Imprecise tasks (20.8 %)

In addition, long working hours (17.3%) increase the risk of the body rebelling at precisely the time when rest is actually needed - for example at the weekend or on vacation.

Stressed people fall ill four times as often

The most common complaints include tiredness or exhaustion, sleep problems, irritability, headaches and cold symptoms.

The test subjects who most urgently needed a vacation and rest were most likely to suffer from post-stress symptoms, say the Trier scientists. The risk of falling ill on vacation has been four times higher for people under a lot of stress than for people who are not stressed.

Why are you always sick when you go on vacation?

The scientists also investigated why these symptoms break out during the recovery phases.

Professor Dirk Hellhammer from the University of Trier explains:

"Stress mobilizes the neurotransmitter noradrenaline particularly strongly in our central and autonomic nervous system. If the demands are particularly intense and long-lasting, the consumption of noradrenaline exceeds the synthesis of new noradrenaline. During periods of rest, too little noradrenaline is then released, leading to a disturbance in the balance of functions in the nervous and immune systems, which causes post-stress symptoms."

Ways out of post-stress syndrome

95.5 percent of respondents say that leisure time is a useful break from the stress of work (IU study). Only 4 out of 10 employees in Germany stated that they are unable to find the necessary relaxation in their free time . 

Employers are also in demand here: according to the IU study, 63.6 percent of those surveyed would like more support from their company - for example through health offers or flexible break arrangements.

Well thought-out stress and break management can also help.

Relaxation exercises provide support, as do avoiding stress factors and good time management.

Plan small exercise sessions before your vacation

However, the best stress killer is still exercise. However, it's too late to start relaxing on vacation. It's best to incorporate small units of exercise into your daily routine weeks in advance and, for example, walk around the block during your lunch break. Exercising for 30 minutes three times a week should noticeably reduce our stress levels.

Test: Am I affected by post-stress syndrome?

Anyone who wants to know exactly whether they are suffering from post-stress symptoms can have this reliably measured using a diagnostic procedure ("neuropattern") developed by the Trier scientists. If such symptoms and complaints are detectable, a combination of medication and dietary supplements with stress and break management can be helpful.
 

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