It has been a long year, long days and weeks of day-to-day stresses and there hasn’t been much time or opportunities to spend outside your head and just BE rather than THINK, worry and plan all the things you need to catch up on or achieve in your personal and professional lives.

As you are aware, the mind doesn’t function without the body, these systems are so intricately intertwined to ensure the best functioning of the whole you. However, mental and emotional health, as projections of the mind, often get neglected because these concepts are not as tangible as the physical health, not as obvious or noticeable. When you get outside whether it is for exercising, social event or just for some fresh air and sunbathing, it is not only extremely beneficial for your physical health and vitality but also necessary and revitalising for your mental and emotional wellbeing.

Nowadays, many of us spend most of our time holed up indoors on our laptops and smartphones. This sensually limited way of living proves to be very taxing and degrading in many ways. To function well as a whole you need to step away from technology, breathe in some fresh air, feel the sun on your skin, connect with your environment through all your senses, see, hear and feel something different and get out to nature as much as you can whenever you can.

Different ways being in nature benefits mental and emotional health:

Humans have an instinctive connection to nature. In the modern age of technology, we may be prone to forget about spending time outdoors and its associated health benefits. Being outdoors can stimulate our senses and help us refocus and centre our emotions. Spending time in nature boosts mental health, lessens the frequency and severity of negative emotions and promotes a healthy mindset.

1. Feeling big and intense emotions: If you’re feeling sad or hopeless, nature can help you heal by improving its various symptoms. While spending time outdoors is ideal, even a natural landscape view can help perk you up.
2. Nature can ease anxiety symptoms. Regular exercise can improve mental health and lessen its intensity. Exercising outdoors in nature can further enhance your mood and regulate anxious emotions.
3. Stress: Spending time in nature can reduce feelings of stress. On average, a 20-minute nature break is all it takes to relieve stress and boost your mood. Cortisol is your body’s primary stress hormone. Typically, those who regularly spend 20 to 30 minutes outside enjoying nature have lower cortisol levels than those who rarely go outdoors.
4. Fatigue: Staying indoors connected to TV and computer screens can cause fatigue and a lack of motivation. Many people may feel overwhelmed and tired from their many responsibilities. Spending time outdoors can improve short-term memory, focus, hope and other mental abilities connecting to the world around you though the variety of senses.
5. Isolation: Spending so much time indoors can cause people to feel disconnected from society. Anxiety and depression can worsen loneliness and drive a wedge between you and others. Exploring the outdoors and visiting communal nature areas, such as a park or popular hiking trail, can foster new friendships and relationships. Maintaining relationships can improve your mood and increase a sense of connection with the world around you, others and yourself.

We hope it resonates with you on some level and reminds you of some empowering ways you can support your mental and physical wellbeing this school holiday.

We are looking forward to the new school year to continue supporting you best we can, improving our services and relationships.

Have a restful break and we’ll see you all in September!