Hi there and welcome back.
In today's talk,
We're going to dive into our relationship with the natural world.
We're going to explore how stepping outside can become a powerful,
Non-stigmatising form of therapy,
And how a literal nature prescription from the Natural Health Service can help us heal anxiety,
Navigate grief,
And boost our psychological vitality.
So have you ever come across the phrase hausitosis before?
It's not a clinical diagnosis.
It's that exact feeling we get when we've spent just a bit too much time stuck within the four walls of our homes.
How does it show up for you?
Mine might be an achy back or my body's ready to move.
We can all suffer from it,
Can't we?
And when we do,
We can end up feeling completely play-deprived.
We miss out on what the nature writer Lucy Jones beautifully calls those mud luscious and puddle wonderful experiences.
Remember those?
It's quite shocking when you look at the data.
A study highlighted by Damien Carrington back in 2026,
Or a decade ago,
Found that three quarters of UK children actually spend less time outdoors than prison inmates.
But the wild can provide such a beautiful natural buffer to our daily life stresses.
It literally offers us natural feel-good chemicals that can really lift our mood.
So what can we do to boost our daily dosage of nature?
Imagine feeling a bit more confident,
Happy and healthy.
In a large school project featured in Lucy Jones's book,
Losing Eden,
A staggering 90% of pupils said that just spending time outdoors did exactly that for them.
Increased confidence,
Feelings of happiness,
And feeling healthy.
And who doesn't want to promote that kind of personal growth?
Both within ourselves and for our children.
Being outdoors is honestly one of the simplest ways to recover from life setbacks and illnesses.
Sometimes having that headspace to reflect and just allow our brains to settle down.
And the best part is,
It's completely non-stigmatising.
Outdoors,
We're not labelling people,
We're not diagnosing them or putting them into clinical boxes.
Instead,
We can all benefit from what doctors call a nature prescription.
This is actually a wonderful and successful initiative that GPs have rolled out in places like Scotland,
Prescribing things like walking and bird watching to people experiencing both emotional and physical suffering.
As you listen to this right now.
Just close your eyes for a second.
If that's comfortable for you.
And imagine.
What with seeing wildlife.
Taking in those natural shapes.
Hearing the birds.
Or the rain and connecting your feet to the solid earth.
What would that do to your spirits?
Right now.
It's been said that nature heals the agonies of grief.
And so in my own experience,
Working as a therapist alongside both adults and young people,
That's where the outdoors truly has shown its magic.
Grief shows up in all shapes and sizes,
Doesn't it?
It's a loss of any kind.
And the outdoors helps us to connect to our distress,
But also offering a safe,
Wide open space for it to be contained.
And gently moves us towards a much lighter internal mood.
I've watched people become so much more of themselves outdoors.
They evolve and transform in the exact same way that nature does,
Surviving,
Adapting,
And ultimately thriving alongside the elements.
Working as an outdoor therapist.
Yes,
I work indoors as well.
But when I am outdoors,
I see people use these green spaces for quiet reflection,
Connecting back to their own body awareness,
Tuning back in to those gut instincts and their inner wisdom.
I really want to invite you to just allow yourself to dip your toes or step foot into a wild open space on your own health journey.
What would that look like for you?
See what nature mirrors back to you.
Be curious.
And if you can,
Invite an outdoor therapist to step into your story alongside you.
Whether it's a part a field,
An urban area,
Or a garden.
See if you can head for the green and find yourself some headspace.
Learning.
Playing.
And imagining.
Heart open to all of us,
No matter our age and our capacity.
It just needs to be adapted for.
Us and our unique needs.
But we are losing touch with the outdoors.
Did you know that back in 2007,
The Oxford Children's Dictionary actually removed crucial words like heron,
Magpie and acorn from their pages?
There is a modern term now called Nature Deficit Disorder.
It was created to highlight that we spend only 1-5% of our time outdoors nowadays.
And that deficit leaves us feeling fatigued.
Less able to concentrate.
And dulling our senses.
Reconnecting with our bodies outside significantly reduces our chances of experiencing low mood and anxiety.
And it can even beautifully ease symptoms of attention deficit disorder and ADHD.
Now,
I'm not going to suggest that we all start eating soil today.
Though,
If left to their own devices,
Babies naturally gravitate towards it because of the huge health benefits.
The scientist Graham noted that direct contact with dirt and soil significantly improves our immune systems and our gut health,
And we now know that there's a massive direct link between a healthy gut and our own psychological well-being.
So at the very least,
Please give yourself permission to explore,
To play,
And to get a little muddy.
See what sensations,
Emotions,
And levels of vitality emerge for you when you do.
You might just find that nature nurtures you in ways you didn't expect.
Let the outdoors have its way with you.
I'm so incredibly grateful to work in,
With and through nature as a restorative tool in my own personal practice and in my professional work.
For me,
Soil really is sole medicine for our well-being.
It helps us to connect to and take care of the cycles of grief and the seasons of joy within our own psychological landscapes.
Because grief and joy are part of our lives,
Aren't they?
Inextricably linked.
We can't avoid either.
Thank you so much for walking this path with me today.
Go find a bit of green space,
Take a deep breath.
I'll do the same.
I'll connect with you again soon.
