We’ve shared some ideas about how you can care for your patch of Sherwood, but what can your patch do for you? This mental health week we invite you to think about the amazing benefits nature can have on our mental health.
11-17 May 2026 is Mental Health Awareness Week, where we are all reminded to talk about and take care of our mental health. But have you thought about how nature can help your mental health? Maybe, during a stressful day at work you have taken a quick walk at lunchtime to clear your head? Perhaps when you’ve received some difficult news you went outdoors to get some fresh air? We might not notice it, but for many of us, getting outside when we are experiencing overwhelming emotions is a natural and helpful thing to do. And the scientific evidence supports it…
Researchers have found that time in nature relieves stress and anxiety. Perhaps we are all familiar with the idea that nature can be relaxing, but did you know it can also boost working memory and attention? The list of benefit goes on, with researchers demonstrating that spending time in nature increases happiness, social connectedness, meaning in life, and resilience. Walking in nature has been linked to reduced rumination and natural environments aid emotional regulation. In the UK the Preventing and Tackling Mental Ill Health through Green Social Prescribing Project (2021–2023) supported over 8,000 people to be prescribed the outdoors as part of their physical and mental health care and it worked! Happiness and life satisfaction was boosted and anxiety dropped.
If you want to find out more about the evidence related to getting outdoors, our colleagues over at Dose of Nature have collated and summarised loads of wonderful research in the area: https://www.doseofnature.org.uk/. Or if you’d rather listen to some of the evidence, here’s a fascinating podcast on the subject: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002kf98.
How Do I Get These Amazing Benefits?
Don’t worry, you don’t need long days trekking out into the wilderness to feel the benefits. The research suggests that at least 2 hours per week is optimal and 20–30 minutes, three times a week is enough to see measurable benefits. So aim for short, frequent doses of nature.
Need some ideas? Find time for a lunchtime walk; try a jog or cycle through Sherwood Forest; or why not care for your patch while it cares for you and volunteer at one of our sessions? If getting out is difficult, don’t worry, according to the Mental Health Foundation (2021), simply noticing nature around you- birds, trees, changing skies- can support mental health. Evidence even shows that viewing photos of nature or accessing nature via virtual reality can help, so the benefits of nature really can be accessed by just about anyone in some form.
So what are you waiting for? Consider this your prescription to get outdoors and go and benefit from all that nature, especially Sherwood Forest, has to offer you this Mental Health Awareness Week!
By Dr Erin Baker (Clinical Psychologist)
Erin has worked with patients across Nottinghamshire supporting their psychological wellbeing in mental and physical health NHS services. Erin has a special interest in how nature can support mental health and is a trustee with Sherwood Forest Trust supporting us to make a difference to both place and people.
