The Beneficial Reason You Want To Attract Birds (That Has Nothing To Do With Your Yard)

For many people, the garden is not only a place to grow food, take care of plants and flowers, and enjoy watching birds and butterflies, but it's also a favorite spot to unwind and recharge. In addition to providing physical exercise, there are many reasons why gardening is good for your mental health, but did you know that the simple and relaxing act of listening to birds singing can have significant benefits to your overall mental well-being, as well? According to a study, benefits noted from being exposed to recordings of birds singing while participants relaxed, meditated, and took walks outdoors included reduced stress and an enhanced mood. There was even a restorative effect on attention and focus, with improvements observed in both areas.

Today, people are busier than ever, so finding the time to recharge and truly relax can be extremely challenging. Add in the stresses of finances, family, work, and other day-to-day situations, and you may find yourself mentally tired each day. Providing yourself with some peace, calm, and rejuvenation time can be as simple as taking the needed steps to attract more songbirds to your yard by planting certain shrubs. Even if you don't have a full garden already, if you have a balcony, patio, porch, or deck, you can grow these beautiful plants in your yard and watch the songbird magic happen.

Nowadays, people are surrounded by traffic noise, sirens, televisions, pets barking, and many other things that cause an almost constant barrage of noise. Without the chance to relax and recharge, this noise can build up and eventually start to cause stress, anxiety, and other problems. Listening to birds singing, whether live or on recordings, can reduce your cortisol levels, improve your overall mood, and even lower your heart rate. It's a much-needed mental reset that can make a world of difference in how you feel and how you tackle the rest of your day. 

Since stress and anxiety are common problems for many people, including kids of all ages, anything that can be done to alleviate these issues is a good thing. One study done with 295 people revealed that people who listened to birds singing had fewer symptoms of paranoia, less stress, and felt more at ease. Another study with 1,000 participants discovered that hearing or seeing birds improved people's mental health and continued to improve it for up to 8 hours after the exposure.

You don't have to spend hours listening to birds singing to reap the huge benefits it provides. You can see measurable results with just 15 minutes each day. You can do these 15 minutes as a morning walk, sitting on your back porch or deck, or sitting in a comfortable, relaxing chair with headphones on and a good YouTube video that features birds singing. If you want to combine mental and physical well-being, you can add birdsong tracks to your MP3 player and listen while working in your garden. You can even plant flowers that will attract more songbirds to your yard while you're listening. 

Another way to incorporate this helpful activity into your day, especially when working or studying, is to take periodic breaks and listen to the sounds of birdsong. Doing this will help restore your attention and focus, as well as reduce the mental tiredness that studying and intense mental work can cause. You can even turn birdsong listening into an educational opportunity by learning what birds have the different singing sounds, so you can identify them by sound as well as by sight.