The natural world that exists in and around our pre-occupied lives is beautiful, astonishing and complex arena.
In this series of short writings I wanted to explore what we can do to physically and mentally bring ourselves a little closer to the natural world, and why it can be beneficial to our physical and mental state. In other words, I’m exploring what is referred to commonly as nature connectedness, and to start with, I’m going to try and lay out a really good way to get started with it if you’re curious.
Nature connectedness and mental health
Many human beings have become detached from wild and natural spaces. Some may do so by choice, and others may not realise just how detached they are. As we navigate our daily lives, we may often only engage with the natural world on a surface level – perhaps casually noticing a bird singing, or hearing the wind in the trees. Some of us may barely notice these windows into the living and breathing world at all.
Indeed, it is no surprise that we tend to be more in-tune with nature and landscapes when on holiday; these are times when we feel we have more mental space to take it all in.
But, we can develop a more meaningful relationship with nature than that, and given that we live in a time where mental health across our planet is in decline, there has never been a better time to do it. From a mental health perspective, in England alone, we’re at a crisis point, but mental illness is common in many consumerist societies, from the US to Australia to China.
At the same time, more and more studies, books and publications are emerging with empirical and case-study driven evidence which indicates that nature-connectedness can improve mental health and combat mental illnesses such as generalised anxiety, depression and more.
Connecting with our surroundings can have miraculous effects on our view of the world
But how do we do this? How do we become connected to nature? To my mind there are no hard and fast rules. People can connect with nature in many, many different ways – and nature-connectedness doesn’t necessarily mean going on a course, or going forest bathing or tree hugging (though many do find these activities beneficial).
If you’re interested in trying to connect a little more with the natural world, I would suggest starting with something that might seem obvious: just starting to acknowledge it. This is the root of nature connectedness, and was subconsciously my own starting point.
Acknowledging nature
Acknowledging nature sounds so simple, and so obvious. It may even sound patronising. But it’s not something that many of us acutely do. For many of us, the concept of ‘outside’ is simply a void that separates point A from point B. As we travel between places (whether in vehicles or on foot or bicycle), we may absentmindedly gaze at trees, bushes, rivers and rabbits. We may casually notice birds, bees or plants. But the level at which we actually acknowledge and engage with it is a different matter.
Humanity has spent the vast majority of its existence connected to nature, and so it stacks that our superficial relationship with it now might be having a negative impact on our wellbeing.
So, on a morning walk or commute, or trip to the shops, or even just a look out of your window, pick out a feature of the natural world. This can be done in the most urban areas. Some examples:
A bird: What does it sound like? What does it look like? What kind of bird is it? Google it if you’re not sure.
A tree or plant: What does it look like? Is it bare? What colour and shape are the leaves? Again, try and ID it if you can. This could even be a plant growing out of a crack in the pavement.
A waterway: What kind of waterway is it? A river, a canal, a stream? What’s the waterway called? Check on Google Maps (or similar) if you’re not sure. Is there any visible wildlife?
This beck connects to the River Rase in Tealby, and it’s one of the first waterways I fell in love with.
Regardless of what you choose, once you do this, an invisible thread now connects you and the natural feature. If you pass or acknowledge it regularly, you’ll be able to see how it changes, grows, and behaves in different circumstances. If it’s a bird, you may notice that it’s more active at certain times of the day or year; if it’s a tree, it may come into flower at a certain time, or drop its leaves – and so on. This is the basis of nature connectedness - acknowledging and forming a meaningful connection with nature.
The start of a journey
Acknowledging nature in this way can have a rapid cumulative effect – in other words, the more you notice, the more you notice! More trees, more birds, more plants, more things to identify, more things that live and exist alongside you. These things weather storms, just like us. They grow and change, just like us. In time, you may even find yourself rooting for these living things. You may even become sad if or when it disappears.
What’s more, the existence of the seasons means that the landscape changes, a lot. The sights, sounds and smells of the natural world fluctuate throughout the year, and as you start to acknowledge and form bonds with the natural world you may even find yourself connecting with the rhythms of nature too – but more on that in a future piece.
Sometimes we practise nature connectedness and don’t even realise it - for example looking forward to (and then enjoying) the fleeting springtime blossoms.
You’ll notice that where it’s something living, I’ve recommended that you try and identify it. There are loads of great ways to ID plants and animals thanks to the internet. If you manage to ID what you’re looking at then something changes. You’ve formed a bond with it. You know what it is. It’s not just background noise – it’s a living thing that shares your world.
In time, this practise of acknowledging the natural world brings you much, much closer to it. You may start to feel like you have a stake in it. As we bridge that gap between ourselves and nature, it helps place us on the same playing field as everything else. It helps us to realise that we share our world with so much life, and with that can come peace and contentedness. I’m one of the many case-studies on this.
Acknowledging nature, and nature connectedness as a whole, is not a miracle cure for mental illness. But what it can do, is help us re-frame what’s important, and it can help us derive joy and peace out of the smallest things. It can be an immensely pure exersise in mindfulness and meditation. Have you ever got lost staring at the ripples of a lake, or a butterfly, or a bird? You’re essentially meditating on nature, and for even just a short while you’re linking arms with it and pulled away from the stress of modern life.
As always, I’m grateful to you for taking some time out to read my thoughts. I’ve suffered from anxiety and depression over half my life, and I can say without question that initialising (and then building on) my connection to nature has been the single most powerful thing I have done to address it.
I hope this has been a little helpful for anyone interested in the whole idea of nature-connectedness, now an extremely popular topic. There are so many other ways we can connect with the natural world too, and I’ll cover those in future articles. In the meantime, happy exploring and sending warm, gentle vibes your way.