Why Nature Is One of the Most Powerful Wellness Tools We Have
We spend an enormous amount of time searching for things that will make us feel better.
Supplements, exercise programmes, apps, treatments, wellness routines – there is always something else we're being told we should add to our lives.
And yet one of the simplest and most powerful wellness tools we have is completely free.
Nature.
Most of us instinctively know that being outside makes us feel better. A walk when our head feels too full. Sitting beside water. Pottering in the garden. Feeling the sun on our face or simply stepping outside and taking a deep breath.
I find it so incredible, however, that people don't often connect the two - they know they feel better after being outdoors but not the why - nature = wellbeing. I was saddened recently to read the news report that children are spending only 25 mins per week outside, not per day, per week!
But increasingly, science is helping us understand that this isn't just a feeling.
What Does the Research Tell Us About Nature and Wellbeing?
Research has linked spending time in natural environments with a range of benefits for mental wellbeing, including lower perceived stress and improvements in mood, anxiety and quality of life.
And there probably isn't one single reason why. When we go outside, several beneficial things can happen at once. We are exposed to natural daylight, helping to regulate our circadian rhythm and sleep-wake cycle (you may have seem me on our socials banging on about daylight and circadian rhythm's last month), we tend to move more and our attention shifts away from screens and constant notifications.
Natural surroundings can provide a sense of psychological restoration, while walking, gardening and other outdoor activities can also give us opportunities for social connection.
There are the sensory elements too: birdsong, moving water, changing light, wind through the trees and the feeling of different temperatures on our skin.
Interestingly, research has also explored our relationship with blue spaces – rivers, lakes and coastlines – and their association with mental health and wellbeing.
Perhaps that helps explain why simply sitting beside water can feel so restorative.
Nature on Prescription
The relationship between nature and health is now being taken seriously within healthcare too.
In England, NHS England and government partners established a Green Social Prescribing Programme, connecting people with nature-based activities as part of supporting their health and wellbeing.
These weren't complicated interventions. They included things such as walking groups, community gardening, conservation projects and outdoor activities.
More than 8,500 people were referred to green social prescribing activities between April 2021 and March 2023, with an 85% uptake when a green prescription was offered. The programme reported improvements in participants' mental health and wellbeing.
I find that fascinating.
We've become so accustomed to thinking that looking after our health has to involve something we buy, take or add to our lives but we now need to be actively TOLD - go outside!
Stop and take time. Sometimes part of the prescription might simply be:
Go outside.
And it doesn't need to mean climbing a mountain or hiking for three hours.
Drink your morning coffee outside, walk through your local park., put your hands in the soil if you can, stand beside water, take your lunch outdoors or spend ten minutes in the garden or park without your phone.
It doesn't have to become another task on your wellness to-do list - sometimes simply being there is enough.
Why We Love Autumn at Lochar Mill
And that brings me to autumn – possibly my favourite season here at Lochar Mill.
There is something about September when you can actually feel the seasons beginning to change. The light becomes softer. The mornings get cooler. The leaves slowly begin to turn and the garden starts shifting from the abundance of summer towards something quieter.
Our swallows begin gathering together before setting off on their extraordinary migration south. Many UK swallows leave during September and into October, travelling thousands of miles to spend our winter in southern Africa. I always find their departure a little poignant but then the familiar sound of the geese overhead arriving from Greenland in late September and October on their way to their winter home somewhere in the UK, is comforting.
As the saying attributed to Lao Tzu goes:
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
Perhaps autumn is the season that demonstrates this better than any other.
What's Happening in Our Garden This Autumn?
There's plenty happening at Lochar Mill as the garden moves into its next season.
Our hawthorn fills with red haws and the cotoneaster with berries, providing valuable food for the birds as we head towards the colder months.
Inside the Hygge Hut, we'll hopefully have our own little harvest too. The grapes we've watched growing through the summer should finally be ready to pick. And then there is my vegetable harvest. I will be proudly harvesting my one and only onion!
Clearly self-sufficiency remains a work in progress.
Autumn isn't only about harvesting, though. It's also about preparing for what comes next.
I'll be planting spring bulbs, tucking them into the soil just as everything above ground appears to be slowing down.
Even while nature appears to be resting, the next season is quietly being prepared for underneath the soil.
We're also leaving some seedheads standing to give birds another source of food, while hollow stems and dying foliage provide shelter for overwintering insects. Fallen leaves beneath hedges and in quieter corners create valuable habitat too. Sometimes doing a little less is actually better for nature. The garden doesn't need to look perfect to be healthy.
Perhaps We Need Seasons Too
I think this is one of the reasons I love autumn so much.
It reminds us that wellbeing isn't always about doing more.
Nature doesn't operate at the same pace throughout the year. There are seasons for growth, flowering and abundance, and there are seasons for letting go, conserving energy and rest.
Perhaps we need seasons too.
There will be times for growth and ambition. Times for adventure and activity.
And there will be times when we need to simplify things, nourish ourselves, spend more time at home and slow down. Nature doesn't apologise for doing this - so maybe we shouldn't either.
A Place to Slow Down
One of the things I love most about welcoming people to Lochar Mill is hearing the same comment again and again:
“It's so peaceful here.”
People arrive for a sauna, cold water session, workshop, retreat or simply some time away from everyday life – and often they seem to find a kind of relaxation they didn't even realise they were looking for.
Perhaps that's the real magic of spending time in nature - sometimes it simply gives you the space to stop, breathe, look around – and remember what it feels like to slow down.
FAQ's
How much time should we spend in nature?
There isn't one perfect amount that works for everyone. Rather than worrying about hitting a particular target, I think the important thing is making contact with nature part of everyday life — a walk, having your morning coffee outside, gardening or simply sitting somewhere green and noticing what is around you.
What is green social prescribing?
Green social prescribing is an NHS-supported approach that connects people with nature-based activities to support their physical and mental wellbeing. This might include walking groups, gardening, conservation projects, outdoor swimming or other activities that help people spend time outdoors and connect with their community.
Do I need to exercise outdoors to get the benefits of nature?
Not at all. Walking and other outdoor exercise have their own benefits, but connecting with nature doesn't have to mean doing anything strenuous. You can sit by a river, listen to birds, have lunch outside, potter in the garden or simply stop for a few minutes and notice the season changing around you.
Does being near water have benefits too?
Yes. You'll sometimes hear rivers, lochs and the sea described as blue spaces, rather than green spaces. NHS England includes both green and blue activities within green social prescribing. For me, there is something particularly calming about being beside moving water — and it's one of the reasons the riverside setting at Lochar Mill is such an important part of what we do here.
How can Lochar Mill help me spend more time in nature?
Lochar Mill was created as a place to step away from everyday life and spend some time outdoors. We’re surrounded by countryside and trees, with the river running right beside us, so nature is very much part of the experience here — whether you're enjoying the sauna, taking a dip in the cold water, sitting by the river or simply stopping for a cup of tea and listening to the water and the birds.
You don't have to do very much at all. In fact, that's partly the point. One of my favourite things is hearing people say how peaceful they feel here and how much more relaxed they are when they leave. Sometimes just giving ourselves permission to slow down and spend a little time in nature is exactly what we need.
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