Week commencing 10th May is Mental Health Awareness week for 2021. And again, I'm going to say that every week should be mental health awareness week because every week and every day we should have our own health and wellbeing in mind, otherwise we can't give 100% to whatever we do.
Nice to have a week devoted to it, and nice to hear stories shared, tip shared, and to get a better idea of the journeys our friends and colleagues have been on. But why only have it for one week?
But anyway...
The theme for this week is nature and the environment. After a year of seeing more of the four walls of our homes than ever before, this theme is somewhat fitting.
During lockdowns (plural!), more and more of us have been turning to nature to help boost our mental health and wellbeing.
With most travel either banned, advised against, or not something that we really want to do given current circumstances, it has given us the chance to get back in touch with the world immediately around us. We're recognised that we don't always have to travel miles and miles for some calm and tranquillity.
Since lockdowns, we are appreciating our green spaces a lot more, and we are coming to the realisation that protecting green spaces should be a priority in a post-pandemic world
But how is it so good for our mental health?
Generally speaking, regular exposure to the natural world brings benefits to cognitive function, attention, emotional wellbeing and physical health. There is a beauty and serenity to the calmness of nature that creates a sense of peace that is harder to come by in busy towns and cities.
But more specifically, and anecdotally speaking, here are my thoughts on this:
(Photo by Silvestri Matteo on Unsplash)
Fresh air - for the last 12+ months, we've all been indoors working and staying out of the way so as to keep safe and healthy. But even just getting outside to feel a fresh breeze on our face can wake us up and refresh us after being indoors and in front of screens for so long.
Time away from screens - yep, screens have been our window to work, social life, and everything in between these last 12+ months. But as we know, too much time in front of a screen without proper breaks isn't good for our health. Screen addiction is a real thing, and it robs us of a number of things including time with family and friends, time in general, and time being able to take in what's around them. That time away from screens and in the real world is helpful and means we can continue to be fresh for work.
Vibrant colours and sounds - iPods used to be described as "brilliant, but not quite as good as seeing the band live". Well, the same can be said for the difference between being in the natural environment in person, and seeing it on a screen, regardless of the quality of the picture. HD? 4K? 8K? OLED? All look nice, but are no substitute for the real thing. And not only do you get to see these vibrant colours, you'll be away from a screen and be giving yourself a break, so that's a double win there!
Outdoor activities - ahhh, the outdoors. The world's largest, and cheapest, gym! And in the current climate we're in, arguably the safest we've got because of it being, as the name suggests, outdoor! plenty of ventilation, air, fresh smells, the lot!
There are plenty of public outdoor spaces where we can walk, run, jog, and in some of the hilly spots we can trek along the hills. If we're missing the gym and have some of our own equipment then we can always find a clearing and take that gear with us, and some parks have outdoor machines like cross-trainers or sets of bars for things like pull-ups or tricep dips. The list goes on!
Its well known that fun physical activities increase our serotonin levels, basically we feel happy when we're doing things like this. So it makes sense to use our great outdoors for regular exercise!
Stillness and calm - the world is a busy place, and its been getting busier and busier with every passing day. Yet have you noticed that as the world gets busier, we're getting busier too, just to try and keep up. But we're never going to keep up, its impossible. Yet by taking that time to just be still and be present in that moment, we can effectively reset our minds from all the stresses of the world. Opening our ears to what is around up, breathing deep the fresh air around us, and just noticing the things around it. Wind, trees rustling, birds, freshly mown grass, things you won't get indoors or in front of a screen.
I know I'd rather be somewhere where I can feel calm! Time spent stressing too much is not time well spent; it is time wasted, quite frankly.
Perspective of the world around us - the view we have from the top of a hill shows us infinitely more than when we are on the ground. From the top, we can get a fuller view of the surrounding area as far as we're able to see. This gives us the perspective that we're one of many other people trying to live our lives as best we can, in one of many other town, cities and villages trying to thrive as best they can in an uncertain world.
Its unhealthy to believe ourselves the centre of the world (an unhealthy form of confirmation bias and delusional positive thinking), and if we take that view then we disappoint ourselves, we risk ostracising those around us because we believe ourselves to have that delusional level of importance in the universe, and we may end up cultivating a feeling of jealousy when someone else around us is getting more attention than us for whatever reason.
So perspective here means understanding that we're all in the same storm together, and we're all doing our best to live the best we can and be the best we can for ourselves and those around us, and that we all deserve kindness, patience and respect.
Nature can bring people together - have you ever seen how people out in parks or on trails are kind and friendly to each other?
Maybe its because out in nature, there aren't as many people as in towns and cities so perhaps we can better appreciate that human contact more than we can having it thrust upon us in a town or city? Maybe its because of the peace and calm that we get in nature that gives us the opportunity to enjoy human contact more?
Whatever it is, it is an overwhelming positive. In my experiences when I've taken time to explore my local park, I've bumped into dog walkers whose dogs have wanted to come up and greet me and we've been able to exchange some nice small talk, well wishes, a friendly ruffle of fur (....... of the dogs, not the people, just so we're clear!). Even if it is only for a moment or two, its nice to have that friendly interaction with people that you can actually enjoy and appreciate away from our busy lives.
Perspective on sustainability and the beauty around us - as I've said, we're better understanding now that exposure to the natural world brings so many benefits to us, so it makes sense that we would want to maintain and protect them as best we can, right? Why would we want to damage something that is so positive for us? It doesn't make sense.
A survey by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and the Women's Institute (WI) found that 63% said protecting and enhancing green spaces should be a higher priority when lockdown ends.
If you think about it, if you take away all our work and life responsibilities, what are we left with? Its the natural world around us. and would we really want to damage the world around us if that's what we are left with?
So having that perspective should mean we're more likely to want to take care of what's around us and not do anything that could damage it.
Whilst some of us have been fortunate to be surrounded by such greenery, others have not been so fortunate. Perhaps they live in a highly urbanised area like a busy town or city, perhaps right in the centre? From experience, central city flats vary with regards to green areas on the property - if there are any, it doesn't tend to be a lot given that city centres are bustling hubs for things like shopping, eating and drinking, and leisure.
So what could we do to bring a bit of nature to us if we're not near any?
Get out into our garden, plant flowers and vegetables - If we have a garden on our property, there is space for bringing some natural beauty closer to our home. Planting flowers can make our homes much more colourful and can bring extra wildlife to our homes too.
Yes, I hate bees and wasps with a burning passion ..... probably because of my hypersensitivity to some sounds like high pitched buzzing - or those audio cat repellants, seriously those things pierce right through my head!! ..... I'm getting off-topic here, but my point is that they do good for the environment (pollinating and encouraging growth of plants and vegetables), and its nice to have some living things around you too.
As for vegetables, my love of growing was on show last year when I was unemployed. It helped me a lot because I had something I could be responsible for and that I could make with my own efforts. So things like beans, courgettes, strawberries are easy to grow and to maintain, and they're delicious too!
Animals, something to be responsible for - for those of us with space in our homes or our gardens, we might choose to keep some animals, be they pets like dogs or cats or rabbits, or maybe chickens for eggs.
I've met people who keep chickens at their home, even have an incubator for hatching them too. They receive a yield of eggs regularly, and they have something to be responsible for too. They're responsible for their growth, wellbeing, safety, warmth, and making sure they are as well as can be. It is also an opportunity to introduce their children to animals whilst in the safety of their homes.
Keep plants in the house/flat - regardless of if you have a garden or not, keeping plants in the house still brings benefits, whether they are psychological or physical.
Its been shown that keeping plants in your office or your workstation (read, for the past 12 months: your home!) can increase productivity and memory retention. Plants in your home/office can also decrease symptoms of dry eyes, fatigue, and loss of concentration, they can reduce sound and can filter the air by absorbing CO2 in the air.
They are also something to be responsible for as you would maintain them so they can continue to provide some colour and health benefits.
So you can see here all the benefits to your mental health and wellbeing that being around the natural world and environment can bring, whether its the natural world around you or the natural world you bring in yourself. From reading the above, its easy to see why we value our natural world so much, and why we should protect it as we edge ever closer to a post-Covid world. The calm escape from our busy lives to reset and recharge our body and mind can't be underplayed.
So I hope you've been able to take some time to get outside and take care of yourselves, especially this week. And I hope you're continuing to look after yourselves every week too.
Be safe and be well! :)
P
Further reading:
Connect with nature to improve your mental health, says Dame Julie Walters (aol.co.uk)
Why Nature is the theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 | Mental Health Foundation
Therapy in Nature: 4 Mental Health Benefits of Nature Exposure (rtor.org)
The 7 Benefits of Having Plants in Your Office - Space Refinery
Credit: Cover image photo by Emma Simpson on Unsplash