Mental Health Awareness Week – Nature Can Help!
by Chloe Waring in News
This week is mental health awareness week, set up by the Mental Health Foundation. This years theme is ‘Nature’ and how nature can play a big part in supporting and improving our mental health. Some of us may not connect very easily to nature and feel that it’s just for us hippies, however the simplest of things can really help each and every individual. Here are some tips to connect with nature for your mental well-being:
- Notice your surroundings – Wherever you are, take a moment to look around and take everything in, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the middle of a city looking up at the clouds and watching them change or in a park watching the leaves fall from the trees or the birds singing. Take a moment wherever you are whether it be outside or looking out of a window, slow down, take a moment, and just pay attention to your surroundings.
- Use all your senses – using all your senses in nature is a great way to relax, watch the clouds moving, listen to the birds or the crickets, smell the freshly cut grass or the rain. These small, simple things can bring a feeling of calm and peace.
- Go outside – try to get out a little bit more, even if it’s a quick 10 minute walk. It may seem silly but just getting out and having a walk or picnic in the park or wander along a beach or forest can massively improve mood and reduce stress levels.
- Get some plants – if you live in a city it can sometimes be difficult to access a luscious green forest or sea front promenade, get some houseplants and take care of them. If you aren’t very green-thumbed there are plenty of low-maintenance plants that can be bought. Not only will having nature around you lift your mood it can also improve oxygen quality in your home. If you have a garden, plant some flowers or add a bird feeder!
- Take care of nature – caring about our environment is not only beneficial for the planet but it also makes us feel good. Even if it’s just small changes to our every day lifestyle such as recycling, buying loose fruit and veg instead of packaged goods or walking/cycling short journeys rather than driving, they will all be small steps to protecting nature and make you feel much more positive!