Spending time with nature in the winter for our mental health
Getting in touch with nature is a brilliant way of giving ourselves a break from the stresses in life. There is something really quite grounding and humbling about observing nature and nurturing a plant(s).
Spending time in nature has been linked with:
Reduced stress levels
Greater sense of relaxation
Improved mood
Improved confidence and self esteem
Being more active and improved physical health
That’s why it has been a reliable feature on all the lists of ways to look after yourself and of ways to cope with the pandemic/lockdowns etc.
It can, on the face of it, be difficult to see how you can enjoy nature in the depths of winter. However if you look around, there are birds and squirrels, coniferous (evergreen) trees, buds on branches, grass and snowdrops - to name a few.
You can take time to allow your senses to soak up the sights, sounds, smells and textures around you in nature even when it is cold, wet and grey outside.
I really do love plants and have always liked growing them. It probably is something I’ve got from my parents as there were always various house plants and bought flowers dotted around the house when I was growing up! We used to have a raspberry bush in the garden which my brother and I loved to sneak ripe berries from when no one was looking! One year, I convinced my mum to let me grow pumpkins which went great until it got mildew and I had to harvest early.
Today I bought some daffodils to put in vases and I’ve spent some time sowing seeds - roses and cowslips, to be precise. I have also started treating some seeds for growing bonsai trees. (Growing bonsai trees is a tricky endeavour from what I gather.) It turns out that you can’t just sow these seeds straight into compost - you need to do a step or two before that!
I have been nurturing leek and chili seeds for the past month. They need to be started off inside. It’s quite exciting to see them progress. I do find the odd walk very helpful too - especially when I can’t do any actual gardening or other plant care. I also have some garlic that I’m growing over winter along with a few Norway Spruce trees, a heather and some herbs outside. So it isn’t totally bleak out the window either!
Whether you like looking out at nature from your home, spending time with animals, having a wander around your own garden, going for a walk, listening to nature sounds (I’m thinking of waterfalls, whale sounds etc), looking at pictures of landscapes etc, buying flowers from the shop for vases or nurturing your own plants (inside or outside) - make the effort to spend some time in nature and you’ll find your mental health benefits!
Winter doesn’t have to mean that you can’t spend time in nature and get these benefits!