Tag: Mental health

Counting on … day 88

9th September 2026

Green spaces are clearly important for mental health as well as for encouraging physical activity and well being. Research from Fields in Trust reveals that in the UK 5.6 million people do not live with 10 minutes walking access to a green space. 1 in 3 children under 9s do not have access to a playground near their home. Only 6% of green spaces are legally protected. 

To maintain access to green spaces at current levels for our growing population, would mean creating 4000 new parks by 2033. 

https://fieldsintrust.org/insights/green-space-index

Counting on … day 87

8th September 2026

Recently I was listening to an episode from Farming Today about a biodiversity restoration project in Norfolk which joined together the work of multiple farmers to create  a long nature corridor. The work sounded amazing but what really caught my attention was how, in participating and seeing the restoration of natural ecosystems with all their biodiversity, it was helping with the farmers own mental well being. Farming is not an easy profession especially when faced with droughts and floods where crops and livestock re diminished, as well facing the financial crises of rising costs for fuel and fertilisers. It is can also, I think, be quite a lonely occupation. 

https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/m0030x81

Counting on … 86

7th September 

A different aspect of resilience is maintaining good mental health. 

I know I can get over stressed by worrying about the various existential crises that we face – climate change, biodiversity loss, poverty, injustice etc – and I can get into a frame of mind that says that anything I do will not be enough, that anything I do will not make a difference, and I can’t work out what to do. It becomes overwhelming and I can’t escape. 

But what do I know is that there are some things that I can do that will unwind the anxiety. One is  exercise and I do this regularly with a set pattern such that on Tuesdays for example, I will book a swim for 7.30am, then use the gym and then have breakfast in the cafe. The other is to simply go out and pay attention to the natural world – often this is sitting by the Thames, watching the river, the wildlife, the changing tides and seasons, and even just watching the people who are also enjoying the river. 

You could say that I count on nature to keep me sane!

Counting on …day 202

3rd June 2022

Forest bathing is the Japanese practice of immersing oneself in nature, especially in forests and paying particular attention to how that environment engages the five senses. Kate Bast, writing for Mental Health Today (https://www.mentalhealthtoday.co.uk/blog/awareness/forest-bathing-how-returning-to-the-trees-can-decrease-symptoms-of-anxiety) says forest it is like a “balm” for mental health and that it has the ability to slow down the fight, flight or freeze response, which is so often on high alert for those with anxiety.  Forest bathing, Bast said also softens the intensity of symptoms such as ‘rumination’ which is something that often plagues those living with depression.

The  Forest Bathing Institute offers guided sessions, including ones at Kew Gardens – https://tfb.institute/. The National Trust also offers a guide for self guided sessions –https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lists/a-beginners-guide-to-forest-bathing . 

Why not have a gentle walk in your nearest area of woodland?

Counting on … day 200  

1st June 2022

Walking in woodlands or even just having a tree to look at when you are ill is known to be beneficial – promoting both mental well-being and speeding up recovery from sickness. 

A report produced last December by Forest Research and funded by the Forestry Commission, Scottish Forestry and the Welsh Government, recorded that visits to the UK’s woodlands do indeed boost mental health and save an estimated £185 million in treatment costs annually. 

 Counting on … day 141

4th April 2022

Taking care of our mental well-being is important. It keeps us better and

happier and our friends and families too. The Blue Prescribing Project aims to help people actively look after their mental well-being through developing closer links with nature. The Project is designed and delivered by the Mental Health Foundation and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, and is currently operating at the London Wetlands Centre. https://www.wwt.org.uk/our-work/projects/blue-prescribing

For enquiries and referrals please contact blueprescriptions@wwt.org.uk