Nature heals
Writing in her beautiful visual diary, The Wild Remedy: How Nature Mends Us, Emma Mitchell notes: ‘Taking a daily walk among plants and trees is as medicinal as any talking cure… even if it’s only for five or 10 minutes. Seeing the blackthorns and lime tree opposite our cottage induces a response in me that I can only describe as a neuronal sigh of relief.’
Who doesn’t need that right now? It’s an idea backed by science – a study* reveals that just 10 minutes in nature helps you feel happier and reduces anxiety. But what if, like me, you’ve never considered yourself the outdoorsy type? I wouldn’t know a blackthorn if it jumped up and stabbed me. Or a lime tree, for that matter. When you grow up in a city, you don’t learn this stuff. How can you appreciate what you cannot identify?
