Outdoor retailer L.L. Bean – in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month – announced that it is going “off the grid,” completely clearing its Instagram grid, pausing posting across all social media channels and encouraging followers to join them in prioritizing time outside.
The company kicked off the annual initiative on May 1, inviting followers to break from scrolling in favor of heading outside as a proven way to nurture one’s mental wellbeing.
On par with diet, exercise and quality sleep, research shows that spending time in nature has measurable mental health benefits for creativity, lowered stress, increased self-esteem and reduced anxiety.
L.L. Bean also noted that this annual commitment is central to its longstanding company purpose.
“Prioritizing time outside isn’t just about embracing our company purpose; it’s about nurturing our individual wellbeing,” said Shawn Gorman, L.L.Bean’s executive chairman and the great grandson of founder, Leon Leonwood Bean. “At L.L.Bean, we recognize the profound and tangible impact of time spent outside on our mental wellness, and we’re proud to partner with Mental Health America, which plays a key role in increasing outdoor access through research and wellness programs. And new this year, our ‘Be An Outsider’ challenge on NatureDose will help people better understand their time outside and how it positively impacts their wellbeing. Our hope is more people can take a step back, assess their priorities and create new habits centered around spending a bit more time outside this month.”
L.L.Bean will continue its multi-year partnership with Mental Health America to support and improve mental wellbeing by increasing access to outdoor programs. Since 2022, L.L.Bean has committed $500,000 to MHA, including 10, $20,000 mini-grants, to affiliates. This enables 8,045 hours of outdoor activities, including hiking, swimming, biking, horseback riding, forest bathing and more, for program participants.
“Being outdoors, even if it’s just in the backyard or a city park or garden, helps improve mood, reduces stress, and supports our mental well-being,” said Schroeder Stribling, the president and CEO of Mental Health America. “Mental Health Month is a great time to start connecting with nature and we are thrilled to team up with L.L.Bean to highlight the importance of spending time outdoors.”
To encourage time outdoors this May, L.L.Bean will also host a “Be An Outsider” challenge on NatureDose, an app by NatureQuant that helps users better understand time spent outside. According to NatureQuant, there is an overwhelming body of scientific literature that links exposure to nature to improvements in physiological and psychological health. In addition to helping users track and monitor time spent outdoors, those who complete the app challenge will receive 15 percent off one full-price item from L.L.Bean.
In addition to helping foster outdoor mental wellbeing for its customers and communities, L.L.Bean offers its 5,500 global employees a variety of programming centered around mental health. The company provides all employees with outdoor experience days, paid days off that employees can use to spend time outdoors. Last year alone, L.L.Bean staff spent over 78,000 hours participating in outdoor activities as part of the program. Moreover, L.L.Bean was recently awarded Mental Health American’s Platinum Bell Seal for workplace mental health, a national certification program that recognizes employers committed to creating mentally healthy workplaces.
Visit L.L.Bean’s Instagram profile to view expert resources, tools and tips for getting outside this month. To explore Mental Health America’s resources, visit mhanational.org/may. For more information on L.L.Bean’s partnership with Mental Health America, visit mhanational.org/llbean. For more information on the NatureDose app by NatureQuant, visit naturequant.com/naturedose.
