This last week has been a rather busy one. Amidst the long days and all the activity of events, website launches, celebrations, project planning, meetings and many telephone and email communications, it was also Mental Health Awareness Week. The theme for this year’s week was nature.
Thankfully, some of my tasks took me outside and I am extraordinarily lucky to work in some pretty special places, where connecting with the natural world is easy to do. This week I’ve listened to the sound of the river, marvelled at how a very high tide can change a familiar view.
On a sunnier day I looked up to note that the swifts are back and heard a cuckoo twice! Even in the rain, I noticed how it makes the pebbles on the heaths shine.
I find in places where there is no connection to wi-fi my connection to the natural world is far stronger. In the woods, sounds from outside are muffled, the stillness somehow amplifies the birdsong. The smell and the light make for an immersive sensory experience if we stop to be part of it even just for a moment.
However packed my schedule is and however I am feeling, being outside definitely improves my mood, reduces any feelings of stress and I feel better for it immediately. More than half of all UK adults also claim that being in the natural world improves their mental health and two-thirds of people experience positive emotions when they are closer to nature.
We all have different experiences of nature and all these connections are valid. It is not necessary to recognise a bird from its song or retain the name of every plant. We can still recognise their beauty and appreciate how these tiny observations make us feel. We just need to take a small portion of time for this to happen.
Nature can’t solve all our problems or reduce a busy workload, but closer connection to the natural world around us can help take the pressure off, instil greater calm and uplift our mood. And with benefits like these, why wouldn’t we prioritise a dose of this every single day?
So, whatever you have ahead in your busy week to come, take a moment to stop, open the window and look out. Explore from your front door using your senses to consciously notice something new or plan a visit to a nearby countryside area and see if you too, can benefit from nature’s therapy.