Taking in the countryside for Mental Health Awareness Week

A bit more than hugging a tree

We all know that being outside and being active is good for us, but why? Anti-oxidants (the goodies) counteract free radicals (the baddies) the more we are active. Anti-oxidants exist in our mitochondrial cells and the healthier our lifestyle, through activity and diet, the more anti-oxidants there are and less free radicals can exist. Increased free radicals in your body can reduce the length of your DNA by reducing the telomeres (the ends of chromosomes that multiply cells). Reducing the number of time cells can multiply causes ageing. Whilst no amount of outside immersion will ever make any of us Benjamin Button, it is scientifically proven that activity outside is far more beneficial to our bodies than remaining inside and sedentary.

This is the magic of nature and how we can affect our own bodies to become resilient to external stressful forces and health issues. Changes in our built environment has meant that it can be more difficult to access areas that can encourage activity. This motivated our Wellbeing Team last week to create a Nature Walk for all employees, to coincide with Mental Health Week whose focus this year was nature. The Wellbeing Team concentrate on our employees by supporting them with any health objectives, managing stress and encouraging discussions around mental health. The Nature Walk was one of the formats in which the Wellbeing Team can help provide the information and tools to help employees take time to focus on themselves.

The Nature Walk had a checklist for individuals to complete with their family or friends whilst out for a walk, or several walks, allowing time to connect with the environment, pause to appreciate the natural world and breathe deeply. Everyone who took part and perceived with the ‘interesting’ spring weather also thoroughly enjoyed themselves! An additional benefit of the Nature Walk was for everyone who took part, Wilson Partners donated to the B1G1 “Plant a Tree in the World” project. This meant that each employee had the ability to help plant 5 new trees simply by taking the time to embrace nature, smell the bluebells or watching squirrels scampering up trees! What’s not to love?