This week marks the 21st year of Mental Health Awareness Week run by the Mental Health Foundation.
For those who know me well, you know this subject is important to me. Discussion around mental health still often comes with a lot of stigma and the purpose of Mental Health Awareness Week is to challenge that, to normalise talking about Mental Health and to encourage people to be aware of their views and opinions of mental health, the effects this has on others and to take notice of their own mental health.
Everyone has mental health just as everyone has physical health and they both impact one another. If you were struggling with physical ill health, you would see a doctor. Your mental health is the same and needs taking care of too. People who need help shouldn’t feel ashamed or afraid to ask for it, it should be recognised as an open, honest and positive thing!
- 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England.
- 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (like anxiety and depression) in any given week in England.
Taken from: www.mind.org.uk/information
The theme this year is ‘Nature’ and is focussing on connecting with nature and the natural world in whatever way that may be for you.
Being in and amongst nature is known to have a positive effect on mental health and our wellbeing. During the pandemic, millions relied on walks or exercise outside as one of our top coping strategies. According to research by the Mental Health Foundation – ‘last summer half of people in the UK said that being in nature was a favoured way to cope with the stress of the pandemic’. Nearly half of us found being in green spaces helped our mental health. One positive to come from this difficult and unprecedented time was our re-discovering this fundamental human need to connect with nature. Historically, humans have lived alongside and utilising what nature has to offer. We have needed it. That need does not go away just because technology and civilisation advances. Research has even found that hospital patients with a view of nature recover faster.
The Mental Health Foundation are asking people to notice nature and to try to make a habit of connecting with nature every day. Simply noticing it, appreciating it, or actively involving yourself with it in some way. The idea is to get as many people as possible thinking about how connecting with nature can improve our mental health. As well as on a personal level, the aim of this week is to encourage our government and the decision makers at all levels of the importance of access to and quality of nature as a mental health and social justice issue as well as an environmental one. This year (2021) sees a new Environment Bill going through the UK Parliament which will impact the natural world for generations to come and the UK hosts the G7 nations where creating a greener future is a key priority.
See here for tips from the Mental Health Foundation on connecting with nature:
I love nature and I tend to find that I am happiest and most at peace when surrounded by trees and plants. I would move to the middle of nowhere to live surrounded by nature and away from manmade civilisation in a second. Well, that's the dream but in reality, the occasional visit to somewhere green and trying to appreciate the natural world on our doorstep will have to do for now! We are very lucky where we live because there are lots of places we can visit or walk not too far from our doorstep and we have our garden space too. I just wish that some people would appreciate the public spaces more and take better care of them.
Having plants, especially green leafy ones, around the house or office has been proven to help improve our physical health as well as our mental wellbeing. Plants have been found to improve our creativity, our concentration, our ability to get along with others and our moods. Colours of flowers can influence our emotions and moods, and everyone associates different emotions with different colours, this is why I offer many products in a range of colours. The presence of flowers has also been found to help reduce anxiety. Whilst the physical health benefits can only be linked to real plants, there is still a lot to be said for the psychological effects of having flowers and plants around, even the fake ones. Especially if you are like me and are not great at helping real plants to thrive... less guilt from failing yet another plant also helps improve your mood! I am getting slightly better and this week me and my little bluebird will be doing some planting – wish me and the plants luck!
I love to work with natural materials and ingredients too, there is something more satisfying about handling them and knowing that they are plant based and sustainable like our wax products. The essential oils are also a huge one for me. Something so small and natural having such a powerful impact on us both physically and mentally. Nature really is incredible.
At the end of the day, even if you’re sceptical about how much connecting with nature will actually help, what’s the harm in giving it a try? Even just trying to be more mindful of the nature that is already part of your daily life. Mindfulness is about being present, in the moment, giving your full attention and awareness to the thing you are doing right now, noticing it, how it looks, feels, sounds, smells, tastes (although not always applicable – or a good idea!) I have spent far too much time staring at the weeds in our garden. Today I noticed the ivy growing out of the concrete post at the back of the rockery. I can honestly say I’ve never really put much thought into how it has managed to do that, or how on earth it has gotten so thick, it is like a small tree trunk. I actually found it quite fascinating to look at the small offshoots helping it to cling to the concrete post and I even found myself contemplating how it shouldn’t have been able to find its way through that post that someone put in its way but it has somehow done it anyway. I kind of admire its resilience and determination. Did I achieve anything useful in this time? No but I did take a few minutes out of my day to focus on this one thing instead of letting my head bounce between all the many other things going on in there and my massive to do list and that feels quite nice…
Anyone who would like to share something for Mental Health Awareness Week below please feel free, I’d love to hear your views or ideas and as always, to anyone struggling with their mental health right now, please talk to someone. I would rather listen to someone who needs to talk than think that someone might be feeling totally alone with nobody to talk to. Take care everyone!
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