Local mental health charity Hull and East Yorkshire Mind will be using Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 – 10th to 16th May – to encourage local people to connect with nature and the environment to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
Mental Health Awareness Week is open to everyone. It is all about starting conversations about mental health and the things in our daily lives that can affect it. This year we want as many people as possible – individuals, communities and governments – to think about connecting with nature and how nature can improve our mental health.
Being in nature is known to be an effective way of improving our mental health and protecting our wellbeing. The theme seemed particularly important this year – in the year of the current Covid-19 pandemic.
Research by the Mental Health Foundation shown that being in nature has been one of the most popular ways the public have tried to sustain good mental health at a challenging time. Their hope is that by growing awareness of the importance of nature to good mental health, more people will be able to enjoy the benefits that it can bring.
Hull and East Yorkshire Mind have created a FREE downloadable pack available from their website. The pack includes information on how nature can improve our mental health, local organisations and iniatives that can help, as well as information on how to have those all-important conversations about mental health. Download it here.
Jack Moore from Hull and East Yorkshire Mind said:
“Nature is something that is all around us and we know that it can be really helpful in supporting good mental health. This Mental Health Awareness Week, we want people to get involved, connect with nature both inside and outside the home, and have those all-important conversations about mental health. ”
“The Week is an opportunity for people to talk about all aspects of mental health, with a focus on providing help and advice. This year we want people to notice nature and try to make a habit of connecting to the nature every day. Stop to listen to the birdsong, smell the freshly cut grass, take care of a house plant, notice any trees, flowers or animals nearby. Take a moment to appreciate these connections.”
