PhD geography researcher Andy Harrod discusses how connecting with nature through outdoor programmes benefits our mental health, sharing both his research and his personal experiences.

The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (10-16 May) is nature. My relationship with nature has always been important to me, be it for exploration, which often provides a sense of perspective and achievement, or as a series of moments that soothe and slow me down. It could be from watching the flow of water, noticing the colour of a flower, or getting covered in cat hair from one of my cats.

Understanding how people experience nature and how these experiences influence their wellbeing over time is the focus of my PhD research. I am exploring with people their experiences of facilitated outdoor group programmes and the influence of these programmes on their long-term wellbeing.

When outdoor programmes are focused on improving the participants wellbeing they are known as green care. In green care, nature is viewed as an integral part of the offering and of therapeutic value to participants’ wellbeing. Green care programmes are complex: they involve participants’ engaging in a range of activities, engaging with the facilitators and fellow participants, and engaging with nature, both as a wider environment and as specific living components, such as plants, trees and animals.

It is this complexity that is of interest to me when considering how our mental health can benefit from engaging with nature. Whilst there may be similarities in how different people engage with nature, their responses will be individual as people have different preferences about what nature they engage with and the activity they do, depending on their circumstances. I am interested in understanding how a person relates to the different factors involved in their engagement with nature and its impact on their wellbeing. Wellbeing is often equated to mental health, but the physical and social aspects of wellbeing are also important and the three often go together in supporting and enhancing a person’s health.

Learning from green care

I interviewed 24 people from a range of backgrounds and ages about their experience of green care programmes. I was often accompanied by my cat Charley, who was my constant companion as I worked from home during the pandemic.

People often mentioned mental health benefits, such as improvements in self-confidence and self-worth. These improvements occurred through a combination of developing skills, increasing social interaction, and achieving something. Social interaction included spending time with animals and wildlife, which provided periods of contemplation, calm and connection. Interviewees noted the role of particular activities - for example, seeding, planting and digging - when gardening or doing environmental conservation, as being grounding and promoting focus on the here and now. They provided time away from ruminating on thoughts.

There was recognition that the outdoor group programmes provided an alternative space, which fostered an atmosphere of acceptance and togetherness, giving people a sense of inclusion and belonging. They also enabled people to recognise that each participant had their own difficulties, which reduced the stigma people felt about their mental health. Participants felt that their mental health concerns were acknowledged but their behaviours weren’t judged or viewed as limiting. Instead, interviewees noted the kindness and care offered, with participants valuing the trust placed in them, empowering them to develop their individual way of connecting with nature through the space, people and activities on offer.

Interviewees recognised the importance of nature to them through their experiences of green care programmes and how a connection with nature helps them with their mental health. For some, continuing this connection involved seeking similar community spaces that offered engagement with nature alongside accepting relationships and social interaction. Others sought out local natural spaces to be active in, where they slowed down and observed the vegetation and wildlife, providing relaxation and moments of joy.

We all have mental health

Throughout my PhD I have struggled with feeling not good enough. On many occasions I have questioned if I belong to academia, if I am strong and competitive enough. I often felt I was being weak when I needed to take breaks and slow down during the pandemic. I found that taking myself away and being with nature was a powerful antidote when I felt my head was so full of self-doubt and criticism that I thought I was breaking. For me, sitting quietly in my garden, listening to the birds sing or noticing the emerging wildflowers supports me in talking kindly to myself and reframing my situation. So do slow walks through the local woods and along the river, stopping to smile at a deer or a heron. I find that taking a moment to soak in the beauty around me soothes my mind and reenergises me to approach my work again.

I believe we can all learn a lot from green care, about how to be part of creating accepting and kind environments, alongside nature, which enhance people’s wellbeing. We can also learn that there are a variety of ways for each of us to support our own mental health through engaging with nature.

I would love to hear about your relationship with nature through the Mental Health Foundation’s hashtag, #ConnectWithNature, on social media.

This blog is dedicated to my cat Charley (2008-2021), who died when I was writing it. She was a beautiful companion, who always enhanced my mental wellbeing and was a brilliant co-interviewer.

Author biography

Andy Harrod is a PhD researcher in health and wellbeing geography at Lancaster University and a person-centred psychotherapist. His research brings together his interests in nature and the role of relationships in influencing wellbeing practices and spaces.

Learn more about doing a PhD at the Lancaster Environment Centre.

Andy and his much missed co-researcher, Charley the cat.

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