This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme is connecting with nature.
It is no secret that connecting with nature can do wonders for our wellbeing. It has long been shown that even spending ten minutes in nature can reduce our stress levels, help us feel grounded, and improve our cognitive functioning.
Have you ever felt completely stuck in your thinking? Struggling to write the next paragraph of an assignment? Or found yourself at a crossroads in your decision making?
Research shows getting out into nature alongside movement, such as walking in nature can dislodge any stuckness we feel by engaging both the left and right sides of our brain simultaneously. This action can help us process what we may be stuck on and help us gain perspective as we move with & through our emotions.
At the Wellbeing Service, we actively encourage the use of nature to help improve your wellbeing. In addition to our usual offer of support we offer Walk & Talk appointments that you can make use of during your time engaging with our service, which combines the benefits of nature & wellbeing support into one. You can find out more about this by reading our previous blog post here.
If you would like to experience the benefits of nature this Mental Health Awareness Week to help improve your wellbeing, why not check out some of the many nature walks in and around Sheffield. Or you may wish to try the Sheffield Round Walk which is a 15 mile loop highlighting some of the many parklands, woodlands and leafy suburbs that Sheffield has to offer.
If you would like to find out more about how being outdoors and engaging with nature can improve you mental wellbeing then check out this article from Mentalhealth.org. And if you need a few tips to help you make the most of your time spent in nature, why not browse further suggestions here.
We hope you enjoy connecting with nature this Mental Health Awareness Week & maybe this is something you wish to continue to engage with to help improve your wellbeing both now and for the future. Best wishes,
The Wellbeing Team.
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