Unwind With Nature

 

Photo by Brittney Strange on Unsplash

"Bluebells, cockle shells,

Eevery ivory over."

Today is the start of Mental Health Awareness Week and the focus this year is on connecting with nature. Click here to find out more. 

Over the past few days the bluebells have appeared carpeting local woods. When we were children, out for a walk, and didn't know any better, we'd pick them and then be disappointed when they were limp and lifeless as we arrived home. Of course it's enough to just stand quietly in a wood, amongst the bluebells, take in their beautiful colour and breathe in their scent. Very soon anxieties will lift and you will feel calmer. 

The Bronte sisters Emily and Anne both wrote poems about bluebells. You can read them here and here. 

The RSPB has more ideas here about how to connect with nature and improve your well-being and mental health. Click here to find out how you can encourage wildlife to your garden by making a little pond. 

Writing prompts:

• Write about ways in which connecting with nature helps your well-being.
• Write about flowers that you love, and why.
• Make a list of five small things you could do this week to connect with nature.
• Do you remember skipping rhymes from your childhood (like the one above)? Write them down.