Adding nature images to your devices to calm and sooth

Tech has become an essential part of modern life, and many people struggle to balance their use of it. We know that tech can have a negative impact on our wellbeing. In contrast to this, research has shown that nature has many positive impacts. It has also been shown that just seeing images of nature can improve our wellbeing, reducing stress, calming us down and improving our mood. It therefore makes sense to incorporate images of nature into our daily diet of technology. One simple way to do this is to create beautiful lock screens and wallpapers on our devices by choosing images of nature. These will be seen frequently through the day and help to calm us down.

Whilst getting out into the real world and seeing nature directly is always going to be better for us than looking at images on our screens, sometimes this simply isn’t possible with the demands of modern life. Having a beautiful lock screen and wallpaper is one small way of taking nature with us in our homes and at work until we get the chance to get out into the real world. Seeing the images will hopefully act as a prompt to get out into nature too.

At the end of the year, it can be enjoyable to reflect on the highlights of the previous 12 months by looking at the photos you have collected. Why not spend some time scrolling through the photos on your phone and picking out some of the best nature images and landscapes from the previous year to add to your mobile devices and computer as lock screens and wallpapers? Images you have taken yourself are likely to be far more meaningful to you than default images that come with the device.

When looking for images for using on your devices, you will firstly need to ensure you look for pictures of the correct orientation, e.g. portrait for a phone and landscape for a tablet or computer. You will also find that certain images work better than others once the app tiles and other items have been overlayed on your image. Sometimes simple images with blocks of colour or a narrow range of colours work better than images that are too ‘busy’.

Lock screen and wallpaper images are generally added by going to your device’s settings and selecting either Wallpaper and Style or Personalisation depending on the device. You will need to ensure that the device can access the digital images you want to use for your lock screen or wallpaper. You might also choose to add more than one image and have a slide show that you can schedule to change regularly. Why not consider having a selection of photos from the seasons? You can be as creative as you like!

Consider how regularly seeing these beautiful images of nature on your devices makes you feel. Does it inspire you to spend more time in nature? Perhaps refreshing your devices wallpapers and lock screen with nature images from the previous year could become an annual custom at the end of each year in preparation for the new. Here’s hoping for a happy new year full of rich and refreshing nature experiences.

‘Photographs allow for connections to be made and for time to pause to appreciate all the world has to offer.’ - Dustin Thibideau

A spring wallpaper.

A summer wallpaper.

An autumn wallpaper.

‘Nature is one of the most underutilized treasures in life. It has the power to unburden hearts and reconnect to that inner place of peace.’ - Janice Anderson