There has been a lot of research into the effects that nature can have on our mental health. This course will discuss the benefits being around nature can have on our wellbeing. It follows the Five Ways to Wellbeing structure and discusses ways to; take notice in nature, connect with nature, be active in nature, learn about nature and give to nature. It is heavily influenced by lived experience. It will also consider how to improve personal safety when exploring outdoors, some of the barriers to accessing nature and how people who experience these can still benefit from natures qualities.
Wellbeing was researched by the New Economics Foundation in 2008 and they produced five evidence-based areas that impact wellbeing. This became the governments wellbeing equivalent to the ‘5 fruit and vegetables a day’ advice (Government Office for Science, 2008).
This course will take approximately 2 to 3 hours to complete, but this timing will depend on how fast you read, how many videos you choose to watch and how long you spend on any activities. You do not need to complete the whole course in one go. If you leave and come back to the course, it will remember where you got up to.