The Mental Health Foundation is encouraging people to get in touch with nature to support their mental health as part of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, which starts today.
The event focuses on nature, following the support many people have found in the great outdoors throughout the pandemic and the role it can play in protecting mental health.
During lockdown, millions of us turned to nature. Research showed that going for walks outside was one of our top coping strategies and 45% of us reported being in green spaces had been vital for our mental health.
Nature’s unique ability not only brings consolation in times of stress, but also increases our creativity, empathy and a sense of wonder. Even small contacts with nature can reduce negative feelings.
Despite this, many of us are not accessing or benefitting from nature and teenagers in particular appear to be less connected with nature.
The main aim of the week is to inspire more people to connect with nature in new ways and notice the impact it has on their mental health.
The good news is, you don’t have to do anything drastic like climb a mountain to feel the benefit – there are lots of simple ways to bring nature into your everyday life.
Although it’s still too early to say what the full impact of coronavirus will be on children and young people’s mental health, the signs are that it will be significant.
At Bridgnorth Endowed School, we care deeply about our students’ social and emotional needs, and understand just how challenging this period has been.
With this in mind, we continue to work together with parents and carers to try to minimise this impact and support our students by sharing clear, simple advice, signposting the latest online resources and regularly talking about mental health and wellbeing.
