The entry has been published to coincide with the first day of Mental Health Awareness Week – Monday 10^th May – an initiative hosted by the Mental Health Foundation. The annual event first took place 21 years ago and aims to help achieve good mental health across the UK.

This year’s theme is nature and Jill Gale, who runs the University’s Mental Health Blog, has put into words how growing herbs and accessing green spaces has helped her through the past year’s lockdowns.

Jill has also listed some of the Mental Health Foundation’s advice for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week…

Mental Health Blog

When we first went into lockdown I missed not having a garden and thought about what I could do to bring a garden to me. I started growing herbs on my windowsill. The pleasure of growing something from seed that also smelt lovely helped to get me through. Going for walks was a top coping strategy for many. Being able to access green spaces had been vital for our mental health. Having to slow down and appreciate what is around us has started to bring us closer to nature. This year’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is nature.

Nature is so important in helping us manage our mental health. In the 1960s a study in the US found that patients who were treated in hospitals with a view of nature recovered faster. So, what are your goals during this week?

The Mental Health Foundation has some suggestions.

During Mental Health Awareness Week, they are asking you to do three things: 

• Experience nature: take time to recognise and grow your connection with nature during the week. Take a moment to notice and celebrate nature in your daily life. You might be surprised by what you notice!
• Share nature: Take a photo, video or sound recording and share the connections you’ve made during the week, to inspire others. Join the discussion on how you’re connecting with nature by using the hashtags #ConnectWithNature #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek
• Talk about nature: use our tips, school packs, research and policy guides to discuss in your family, school, workplace and community how you can help encourage people to find new ways to connect with nature in your local environment. Email us at mentalhealth@beds.ac.uk if you have any ideas you would like to share and we will post them on the blog during the week.

For more information about Mental Health Awareness Week, visit their website.

Read previous Mental Health Blog posts and stay up to date with new ones by visiting: www.beds.ac.uk/helphub/mental-health-blog

For a list of support services provided by the Student Experience team, visit the University’s Help Hub: www.beds.ac.uk/helphub