How's the serenity?" our mate Darryl Kerrigan from The Castle would say, if he were sitting here. "So much serenity, Daz," I would reply, taking in the sprawling valley where I am sitting. I'm surrounded by 300-metre-high sheer sandstone escarpments, which throw waterfalls during heavy rain, and eucalypt forest dotted with ancient black cypress pines.

The silence is punctuated with the gentle song of some of the 152 different bird species in this 2830-hectare wildlife conservation area in the Greater Blue Mountains region in NSW. Eastern grey kangaroos recline, sunning their bellies, while the wombats, whose top speed of 40 kilometres an hour makes them almost as fast as Usain Bolt, graze lazily.

Wolgan Valley.

It's often not until we pause that we realise how ragged our lives have become. Without proper breaks we're less productive, creative and – speaking for myself – more connected to phones and computers than our surroundings or the people we're close to. Being in nature is a remedy for much of this, yet most people in developed countries spend 90 per cent of their time indoors.

Our body clock is powered by natural light, which resets our circadian rhythm each day, stimulating hormones that energise us during the day and help us settle into the night. Nature also has the power to relieve stress, improve concentration and give our immune system a boost. One study from this year found that those who could readily see birds, trees and greenery were less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and stress.