Feel-good
Give yourself a boost this January
Start your year with small, meaningful steps to finding your place within nature – for your wellbeing, your community and the planet!
Taking time to find our ‘happy place’ in nature can give us the feel-good moments we need to start a new year. We’re all different – while some may have a favourite spot that lifts their spirits, we can all enjoy, appreciate, and feel included in nature, wherever we are.
Getting more active...
...is a great way to support our wellbeing - whatever our starting point – and being in nature can inspire us, lift our mood, or give us a reason to pause and appreciate the moment, whether it’s a beautiful view, a patch of wildflowers, or the song of a bird during a steep climb!
It’s also a wonderful time to join one of our friendly volunteer groups, helping Somerset Wildlife Trust’s reserves team care for nature reserves - and keep warm in the process (powered by biscuits and cups of tea!)
Volunteering is good for us too: a recent study found that 95% of people who began volunteering with a Wildlife Trust with low wellbeing reported an increase in their wellbeing after just 6 weeks.
Wait a minute!
But it’s not all about hiking up hills or digging in the garden. Sometimes simply stopping for a minute to notice nature, wherever we are, can help us gain a new perspective and support our wellbeing.
Indoors or out, spending time with like-minded people is good for our mental health, so this could be the perfect time to join a community nature group (like Folk Juice, below), go on a health walk, or share your favourite nature read at a local book group!
Thoughts for today...
This is a just a small selection of ways you can find nature feel-good moments, inspired by the amazing organisations, communities, and people across Somerset. And if nothing here appeals, make up your own – whatever helps nurture you and your sense of belonging with nature!
