Health & Wellbeing

Nature, Health, Wellbeing and North Wales

Nature is absolutely fundamental to human health and wellness. So let’s make sure we use it.

Scientific evidence has demonstrated that wildlife-rich land and seascapes can drastically improve our health and wellbeing. Exposure to nature does things like boost our mental health, strengthen our immune system and our responses to stress. It improves our mood, our focus, it can even make you kinder and more generous!

Every day, the North Wales Wildlife Trust champions this truth, striving to bring nature to more people and more people to nature.

Evidence - based actions

While we could present you with a whole heap of dense information on how to get the health benefits from nature, thankfully the 2008 UK Government’s ‘Foresight Project’ in combination with the New Economics Foundation (Nef) has done the hard work for us. They’ve condensed the work of over 400 scientists on nature and wellbeing into 5 evidence-based actions.

5 Ways to Wellbeing

BE ACTIVE : go outside for a walk and explore your nearest nature reserve.
This can do things like lower inflammation, boost your mood and cause a reduction in anxiety and depression. (Department of Health, 2009a, 2011; Reed et al., 2013).

CONNECT: with the people and wildlife around you.
This will help protect you against illness, social isolation and poorer health more generally (Tones and Green 2010)

GIVE: do something to help your local place and the people that live there
This will increase neuronal responses in the reward areas of the brain and boost happiness and life satisfaction. (New Economics Foundation, 2008; Rilling et al., 2007)

TAKE NOTICE: of the everyday wildness on your doorstep
Mindfulness enhances self-understanding, reduces stress and improves mental health (Feldman et al., 2007; Nef, 2008; Williams, 2010; Chu, 2010; Keng et al., 2011; Howell et al., 2011)

LEARN: try something new outside
Learning is associated with: wellbeing; life satisfaction, optimism and self-efficacy; self-esteem and resilience (Feinsten and Hammond, 2004; Hammond, 2004)

#MyNorthWales

One of the campaigns we've started on health and wellbeing is #MyNorthWales. It's not as blatant as a hashtag like #MyWellbeing but looks for similar thing. The hashtag is asking after your personal connection with the natural area, what it looks like and what benefits it brings.

The gallery below contains photos, taken by our followers, that represent these connections. We'd love it if these photos kept coming in. So if you want to, please share your own connection with the natural area using the hashtag #MyNorthWales and we will post some of them across our channels.

Alan Smethurst, Bagillt looking out towards Hilbre Island.

Bethan Vaughan Davies near Afon Wen Beach on the Llýn Peninsula .

Reap the health benefits from our reserves

Consider joining our cause by volunteering or visiting our reserves.

Do this in the knowledge that you won't just supporting be supporting your local wildlife and environment but also, your own physical and mental health.

Volunteer

Take Action

Terns at NWWT Cemlyn nature reserve © Nia Haf Jones

Find your reserve

Take me there

In two separate studies, birdsong was found to both aid stress and fatigue recovery as well as increase feelings of wellbeing after 7 - 8 minutes of people listening to it!

Final Word

This has been a little introduction into the ways in which nature can help us feel happier, healthier and more fulfilled.

Going forward, this page will keep being updated with new stories, pictures and suggestions on how nature supports our health and wellbeing.

For now, our final ask is for you to put this statement to the test. Over the next few weeks, engage with the 5 ways to wellbeing in the best way you can. As you do this, check in on how you're feeling. With any luck, you'll feel healthier and more well as a result.