From stress to bliss, by stepping outdoors

01/05/2026 at 6:37 am | Posted in Wellbeing notes | Leave a comment
Tags: , , , ,

Recently I returned home after a month of travelling through some quite extreme climates. North Wiltshire, in spring, struck me as the very nicest place to be: the woods were greening, and many of the flowering hedgerows were postcard-pretty. The air seemed fresh and sweet – the perfect temperature and humidity. I couldn’t help thinking that we’re lucky to be far from wars here; and the most dangerous creatures are probably the adders that live peacefully at the bottom of a neighbour’s garden. Why would anyone ever want to leave? 

Roll on a few weeks, and the demands of everyday life have started piling up, like they do. Every task demands time and energy, like attention-hungry children saying, “Look at me!” “No, look at mee.” 

How on earth can you continue to appreciate the beauty of your neighbourhood when you’re feeling completely stressed? One simple strategy that I’m trying at the moment is to do something physical every day, preferably outdoors. Walking or running, yoga or swimming, spring-cleaning or gardening… there’s plenty to choose from. Physical exercise can be as basic as taking one step at a time, or even a few stretches on a bench. The key thing is that it literally removes you from cycles of negative thinking, right into the actual, amazing landscape that stretches out all around us. 

Wellbeing notes: Outdoor spring clean

01/03/2023 at 9:02 am | Posted in Wellbeing notes | Leave a comment
Tags: , , , , , ,

If you see a piece of litter on a country walk, do you pick it up sometimes, often, or never? In my case, if I’m honest, it depends on the litter. Some items can’t easily be picked up. Other times, I’m rushing past on my way to a Very Pressing Appointment, and I’d rather not turn up all mucky. But I hope that I do try to bag litter at least some of the time. 

When you or I pick up discarded rubbish, we’re contributing to a beneficial practice which has been gaining real traction in the UK, and elsewhere. 

This year the Great British Spring Clean runs from 17th March to 2nd April. Look out for individuals, pledging to fill a single bag; and volunteer groups, working together. For ideas on how to join in, see Keep Britain Tidy. In 2022’s Spring Clean, nearly half a million bags of refuse were apparently collected and properly disposed of. That’s a lot of tidying up – enough to make a visible difference.

Walking outdoors is brilliant for mental wellbeing as well as physical health. One of my favourite local walks takes me through woods, meadowland and over a tiny wild garlic stream, all dappled in sunlight. Over the coming weeks, additional flowers will grow along the route: fragrant bluebells like the ones pictured here; dainty lady’s smock; vibrant orchids; purple knapweed and tall, waving daisies. What I’d rather not see among them is an empty can or plastic wrapper, so if there’s anything along those lines, here is my pledge that I’ll be picking it up.

Website Built with WordPress.com.
Entries and comments feeds.