Yes nature can help improve your mental health and wellbeing.
Did you know that being out in nature is one of the easiest ways to help improve your mental health and wellbeing,
You don’t have to exercise, go for a run or anything energetic if you don’t want to. A simple slow walk out amongst nature is so beneficial. It has been scientifically proven during several worldwide studies, that Forest Bathing can help with improving mental health and wellbeing.
In 2015 Gregory N Bratman et al compiled research into
How Nature experiences reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation.
Basically, an experiment was conducted to find out if having a nature experience influenced rumination, which is known as a risk factor contributing to a persons mental health. It not only showed how those people who walked in nature for 90 minutes showed less signs of negative self talk towards themselves. But it also highlighted that those that walk in nature had a better response to those that walked in an urban area.
You can read more about it here. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1510459112
Forest Bathing is a way of helping you to have time for yourself, help you to process your thoughts without all the hustle of everyday life wrapped around you. Don’t be put off and think you have to go and start hugging trees, you don’t, but you can, everything is optional on a Forest Bathing session with me.
The fresher air, the oils that are released from the trees and soil (like aromatherapy) help to calm the nervous system, taking some deeper slower breaths have the same effect. Slowing your breathing to a calm pace.
Even better is not having earphones in, try not to have your phone out at all, it distracts you from being where you are, it’s stopping you noticing nature, listening, seeing and preventing you from feeling nature.
If you ever go to a seaside area, I bet you take a deep breath without even realising it. Your shoulders drop and you walk at a slower pace admiring the view.
Well, that’s just like Forest Bathing.
You walk in a park, forest, wooded area or maybe even a large garden centre with outside areas to wander.
What happens?
You start to walk slowly, gaze at the colours of all the flowers and plants, their varying shapes, you touch the plants to feel their texture, smell the flowers, maybe smell the candle aroma’s in the homestyle section if you’re at a large garden centre environment.
This is all how we take our bodies and minds into a slower pace, helping our frenzied brain and thoughts that are firing away all day slow down and become quiet. It doesn’t have to cost lots of money either; you don’t have to travel too far.
If you’re employed taking some time out is a great way to recoup after a meeting, its great for staff wellbeing and really helps colleagues in the workplace and can help with the teams moral as well.
Those work targets can seem a bit far fetched at times and you may think you’ll never get there.
That customer who’s having a bad day and fires it all at you. I’ve been there and know its not nice and sometimes its really hard not to take it personally.
This is where it would be so helpful to yourself and your team if you just took five. Breath deeply, calm down, slow your anxious heart rate and close your eyes. Taking yourself away from the situation really does help and if you can’t leave the work place then go find a window where you can see some nature, even just one tree. Look at what you can see in nature while to deep breath for a few minutes. Close your eyes if you feel comfortable doing so.
Trust me it will help massively!
Here are 5 Ways to help improve wellbeing and mental health.
- Go for a walk in nature at least 1 hour a day if you can alone. Or agree not to talk if you’re with someone.
- Walk at a much slower, gentle pace, a snails pace so you can notice things in more detail.
- Whenever you’re waiting for something, a bus, train, kettle to boil, in a que, take slow deep breaths. Or hum a tune. You can’t think whilst humming a tune. Bet you didn’t know that did you?
- If you like to listen when travelling, make it something positive, a good podcast or audio book. It will stop the mind chatter.
- House plants are amazing and have so many great health benefits too. Get some in you work place too.
Give at least one of these a try, let me know if you see and or feel the difference within yourself.
You can make some positive impact by sharing this blog to colleagues and friends.
If you’d like to attend a forest bathing session for yourself or your work team please do contact me here https://theforestbathingcompany.com/contact-us/
Or book a Forest Bathing session here
https://theforestbathingcompany.com/the-events/
Where ever you are, have the most positive day.
Take care
Until next time
Nicola
