Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental Health Awareness Week (17 May)

Last week was Mental Health Awareness Week, promoted by the Mental Health Foundation.

This year's theme was to encourage people to connect with nature, which could be done alone, with a friend or family member. Spending time in nature and incorporating this into a daily routine was shown to be very beneficial to ones mental health. Being close to nature has been shown to be associated with lower levels of stress and also to lessen the symptoms of depression and anxiety.

In Milton Keynes we are fortunate to have 20 parks, 7 woodland areas, 4 nature reserves,15 lakes and 11 miles of canals.

The Parks Trust has a variety of outdoor activities planned for this year, including guided walk and talks, work shops and summer stories in the park.

You might find the following resources of use:

The Parks Trust - What's On In Your Parks

Mental Health Foundation - Connecting with Nature, Top Tips (Download pdf)

Mental Health Foundation - Thriving with Nature (Download pdf)

Mind - How Can Nature Benefit my Mental Health? 

The Wildlife Trusts - Nature for Wellbeing