Did you know that 10-16 May 2021 is Mental Health Awareness Week? The theme this year is #ConnectWithNature.
Mental health issues can affect anyone, and Mental Health Awareness Week is an opportunity for people to talk about any aspect of mental health. This year’s theme is nature. Nature has benefits for our mental health and wellbeing. Nature can reduce stress and help bring connection with the world and each other.
At Darnall Well Being, we are encouraging people to connect with nature; that could be by combining this with the benefits of physical activity and getting out for a walk, sitting in your garden, looking out of your window or looking after any plants you have in your home.
Next time you connect with nature, have a think about what you hear, smell or see. We would love you to share this with us – send us your pictures or let us know how it made you feel and any benefits it had.
Send any photos to dwb.enquiries@darnallwellbeing.org.uk
Or tag us in your photos on social media: @darnallwb
Our leaflet with more details about this, and about useful contacts who can help with mental health support, is available to download here:
If you’d like to get out for a walk, but feel a bit hesitant after the past year of lockdowns, please contact us and we can welcome you along to our Monday walking group in High Hazels Park. The group follows two different routes, so you can choose the route that is best suited to you. Group members have said have said that coming back to walking with us post-lockdown has helped their confidence to get back out for walks, after isolating for some time. Sam, who is in his 80s, was so happy to be back on the group walks that he came running with his walking stick to get there on time!
On our Health Walk on Monday 10th May, group members took time to see and hear the birds and squirrels around them, and to smell the wet grass and blossom in the park. Building those connections with the natural world around us is just one way that nature can help with our mental wellbeing – the Wildlife Trusts list some other ways nature helps too:
Paul, one of our volunteers, suggested an unusual, fun activity to help connect with nature – why not build your own hedgehog house?! Information on how to do that here:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/08/how-to-make-hedgehog-house/
And if you need some inspiration for other things you can do to take care of your mental health, the Mental Health Foundation have come up with this helpful poster, packed full of suggestions:
