Thursday, 13th May 2021
One in four of us will experience a mental health problem each year but thankfully mental health awareness is growing - and rightly so.
‘In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks’ – John Muir
A beautiful quote and getting closer to nature to improve our mental health is easier than you think. We have some advice and suggestions to help you to connect to nature every day - to help nature support you.
Nature is all around us, you don’t have to live in the countryside to enjoy it. Urban gardens and wildlife are just as interesting as rural. Your local park or community garden can still keep you connected to nature. Listen out for birdsong as you wait for your bus or train, look out for bugs and spiders whilst walking down the street.
Re-connect with nature in the simplest of ways – even looking out for butterflies or noticing how the weather changes can help calm you. And in the UK our changeable weather is certainly a talking point.
Try bringing nature to you. A simple houseplant or hanging a bird feeder in your garden will instantly introduce you to nature.
If you feel uneasy about visiting places on your own, try asking a friend, relative or colleague to go outside with you. Spending time exploring somewhere new in the natural world will help to lift your spirits.
If you’re lucky enough to live near the coast, then ‘blue’ spaces like the beach or wetlands can be just as fulfilling.
Exercising in nature, if you can, whether it’s a quick walk in your lunchbreak or an outdoor run can all help to improve feelings of sadness.
We can all help to protect and help nature and natural spaces. Nurturing and taking care of something can help to give you a purpose. Perhaps make an effort to recycle more or join an organised beach clean or simply hang that bird feeder out that you’ve been meaning to.
Here at Haith’s we are outdoorsy types and our advice is simple – nature is all around us to enjoy and connect with, so leave the car at home, grab your coat instead and enjoy all the sights and sounds of our wonderful natural world but most of all please remember, in a quote by Charlie Mackesy, ‘to ask for help when you need it – which is always a brave thing to do’.
Written by Angela
