Let Nature Help You

Thank goodness there is much wider acknowledgement of mental health issues, than say 30 years or even 5 years ago.

But despite it being less of a taboo subject, the paths to recovery are few and often well hidden.

It’s a big health banner heading that covers so so much, and is often left to ourselves to sort ourselves out. There are more resources and support groups available these days, but woefully under resourced and so over stretched and often mental health conditions will only come to light when they show in the form of physical symptoms.

During the height of the Covid lockdown and subsequent restrictions, I think it’s fair to say, we all thought that once these were lifted the stresses we were experiencing would just disappear. Unfortunately the debris left in its wake has yet to be cleared and the financial pressures the majority of us now find ourselves in, present a whole new level of stress.

This is my number 1 tip (feeble as it may seem).

Get Outside And Experience Nature

If you can wrap yourself up against the elements (particularly at this time of year) go outside and explore. The benefits of experiencing the great outdoors have been recognised since the days of the industrial revolution, when factory workers headed beyond the boundaries of the pollution laden cities and into the clean air of the countryside.

According to a three-stage study into the mental wellbeing of Wildlife Trusts volunteers, published in 2017, a key finding was that 95% of study participants with low wellbeing at the start reported an improvement in six weeks. This increased further over the next six weeks. The mental wellbeing of all the participants improved by a significant extent over the 12 weeks that the study took place.

If I want to a moment of calm, I look out at my bird feeders. My crab apple tree always produces a huge amount of small bright red miniature apples, and I always leave them rather than gather and make crab apple jelly.

Not only because I don’t know how to, but because I just love seeing the birds feasting on them. I hang a bird feeder as well in this tree and currently there are blackbirds and pigeons really hitting the tree fruit, whilst blue tits, sparrows and other small birds take the seed. Some years, we’ve had flocks of Waxwing move in for a couple of days - beautiful birds. Bizarrely, I find their busyness really soothing and relaxing to watch.

I find walking also helps clear my mind and soothe my nerves. Exercise in general is good, but with walking I find I really get to notice the small stuff. Bulbs shoots popping through the ground - surely earlier than last year?

Trees getting ready to bud up. In the summer, noticing a beetle or even a smaller insect crossing my path. And as I see and notice these things I realise that I’m just a small part of the picture. It doesn’t help my bank balance, or sort out personal clashes but will often help me sort out my priorities and clear my head.

If you are really struggling with your mental health, doing this is not going to miraculously make it all go away, but it might just be one of many steps that lead you to a healthier state of mind.

Article By Jill Roberson @jillecoqueenliving on Facebook and Instagram