Nature and Wellness
There is growing evidence that spending time in green space or bringing nature into your everyday life can benefit both mental and physical wellbeing. For example, doing things like growing food or flowers, exercising outdoors, conservation work or being around animals can have lots of positive health effects.
Some of the benefits of spending time in nature can include reduced stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue, improved mental health and mood, a sense of belonging, improved physical health through exercise, group social interactions that reduce loneliness and isolation.
What is Green Prescribing?
Social prescribing is a way of being connected to health services and community-based support that may be prescribed alongside or instead of clinical interventions. Green prescribing (or nature on prescription!) are activities that take place in green (nature) spaces. Blue prescribing are wetland / water-based activities. You could be linked to projects that support wellbeing through for example, woodland walks, community allotment days, wellbeing nature and arts groups, forest bathing, wild swimming, cycling in urban green spaces, nature-based therapeutic interventions.
How can you find out more?
You can ask your GP or Link Worker if they know of Nature and Wellbeing Activities happening in your local area. There are so many wonderful projects happening in Somerset – watch this space for a community map coming soon! A couple examples are the Somerset Nature Connections project and the WWT Wetlands Project.
Why is this important?
By increasing participation and awareness, nature-based initiatives have the potential to address health inequalities and improve health and wellbeing for individuals as well as to significantly reduce public health costs by encouraging healthier communities. After taking part in a Nature Wellbeing 12-week programme, 83% of participants said they felt improvements to their mental wellbeing. There is a growing network of providers and practitioners of nature-based interventions across Somerset.
To find out more or contribute to this movement, please contact sophie.burns@somersetwildlife.org