Why nature is your wellbeing secret weapon

Our columnist Hannah reflects on the positive impact of nature on mental health

We all know about the benefits nature has on our mental health and wellbeing. I, for one, love getting outside, breathing in the fresh air, and seeing where nature is at: I’m lucky to live near the sea, so I find nothing better than getting out for some sea air.

My mental health loves it, and let’s face it, what happened this year with everyone being stuck in their homes more. Getting outside has been essential to shake things up for people in whatever way they can.

This will be interpreted differently for everyone, depending on where you live or your physical ability if you struggle to get out.

We can all find ways to access nature and bring it into our lives and adapt it to work for us. As a big plant lover, I’m all about bringing nature into the home with as many plants as possible. If you struggle to get out, the plants not only help the air but bring in that energy of a living thing. If it’s a case of that’s all you can manage is plants and an open window, it will still positively affect your mental wellbeing.

I have a chronically ill friend who struggles to get out and has made a plant area where she reads and has a drink there daily; this is how she connects. My friend, for instance, with her small children, loves to bring fallen things (important not to take live things) inside from nature to place around her house. She says it connects them to nature indoors too. If you only have a small balcony, how can you bring some more nature to that? Remember, adaption is everything.

If getting outside is easy, let the world be your oyster, whether you have a garden, a park you like to go to, or you may be lucky to have full-on nature on your doorstep. Make that commitment to get outside daily or however much you can. I appreciate that some people have hectic lives!

We are lucky in this country ( the UK ) that we can all drive away to nature outside of the city, so if you can even do this a few times a month, your mental wellbeing will thank you.

I’m lucky to have access to a garden and grass where I live; this is something I love to do, and my mind loves it too. I love to get outside barefoot and sit on the grass. You can stand, lie or sit; I found this not only grounding but reconnects me to the earth. Grounding is so good for our mental wellness as it gets us back in our bodies.

I try to do this as much as I can, especially as the weather gets warmer, but even if you have to wrap up, there’s nothing better than grounding outside. So wherever you are at, find ways to connect with nature, do it consistently, and you will notice a definite improvement to your mental wellness.

“We can find ways to access nature and bring it into our lives to work for us.”

@thehannahwallace