How being in Nature can help our Wellbeing

Wellbeing/January 2025

In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks - John Muir

Hello my friend.

A very warm welcome to my little corner of Substack today. It’s the perfect day for a winter walk. I’ve made up a flask and pack up. Do you want to join me?

We have a small but beautiful parkland just a couple of miles from where we live, Bouskall Park. A cold snowy morning awaited us as we headed out donned with thick padded coats, woolly hats and gloves. Our breath, white before us as we exhaled.

A thin covering of snow blanketing the ground, glistening white and crisp to the foot. The bare bones of winter as the silhouette of the trees stood unprotected without the cover of leaves. Holly bushes with just a scattering of berries remaining.

A robin following our lead along the path, and ducks in the pond eager to see if we had brought them anything to eat.

Nature at its most exposed and yet its most wondrous.

We are still deep in Winter, but mother nature is busy working her magic in the hidden depths beneath our feet. Waiting for that glorious moment of rebirth in Spring.

Our walk was but a small walk, about an hour, but it served to rejuvenate the senses, and awaken the soul.

Research tells us that being in nature is at the very core of ones wellbeing. It is now considered to be equally as beneficial as exercise, diet and sleep and I have to agree.

Walking in nature is a powerful, yet simple way to improve ones physical, emotional and mental health. Just getting outside for a while can reduce stress and anxiety, improving our overall mood. I’d go as far as to say that just stepping out into ones garden for a moment can serve to refresh the senses.

Being out in nature can help improve attention and cognitive function too, making it easier to focus and increase ones creativity. I often feel the urge to pick up my pen and start writing upon returning home after a lovely walk. Not only does it help our mental health, I also say that it helps to inspire too.

Forest bathing (also known as shinrin-yoku), originating in Japan in the 1980’s, is the practice of finding a sense of calm amongst the trees. This has been shown to help us de-stress and boost our health and wellbeing. It is said that just two hours of mindfulness in a woodland or forest can reduce blood pressure and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Trees release a chemical called phytoncide which protects them from bacterial and insect attacks. It is in the breathing in of these chemicals that produce the health benefits I mentioned above. Forest bathing is by far the best way to enjoy their benefits.

Photo by Steven Kamenar on Unsplash

As Wellbeing is my word of the year this year, I will be making a conscious effort to spend more time in woodland and forest environments.

We are booked onto a campsite in a couple of weeks for two nights which just happens to be in the middle of a woodland. I can see lots of forest bathing in my future 🌲🌳

This weeks ASMR recommendation :

If you enjoy reading A Simple Living Journal I would be honoured if you would recommend my publication.

Have a beautiful week.

Until next time.

Debbie xx

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