Spending time in the natural world can benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing and research is increasingly telling us of the profound effects on our health of being in the forest.
Over half the population lives within six miles of a forest or small woodland and we want to get people amongst the trees to begin exploring them and to feel the positive effect for themselves. Spending time in a forest can improve your mood, increase attention and concentration, and even help psychological stress recovery.
Being among trees can reduce levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, while improving mood and lowering anxiety. It also boosts the immune system from breathing in phytoncides, which trees emit to protect themselves from germs and insects.
According to Mind, the leading Mental Health charity, being amongst nature can:
Improve your mood
Reduce feelings of stress or anger
Help you take time out and feel more relaxed
Improve your physical health
Improve your confidence and self-esteem
Help you be more active
Help you make new connections
Provide peer support
At Greenwood we know this to be the case, and as such want to work directly with disability groups, using the forest school ethos, and champion well-being.