Green spaces decrease stress, anxiety, and depression 

In current affairs, mental wellbeing is a big topic on everybody’s minds, with an estimated 1 in 6 people in England alone experiencing symptoms of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression (World Health Organization (WHO)). The mental health pandemic is on a global scale, with significant mental health needs not being met worldwide. Now, with many countries citing a mental health crisis globally, there is a push to research ways to improve mental wellbeing, with the outdoors and spending time in nature being some of the most effective.  

Evidence suggests that exposure to natural environments such as forests and green areas is often linked to a decrease in stress, anxiety, and depression and contributes to improved emotional well-being (M, Rodriguez, 2024). 

With science stating that hugging a tree for just 20 seconds can increase the oxytocin levels in the body, the hormone that is responsible for feelings of calm and emotional bonding, something as simple as embracing a tree can boost your overall wellbeing. 

Emotional regulation and a specific link to Special Educational Needs and disabilities (SEND) 

In the last decade, there has been significant research developments on how emotions are linked to determining mental health and well-being. With Pandey & Choubey (2010) writing the role of emotions and emotional experiences in determining mental health, which are subjective to the well-being of an individual.  

Research has proven that the dysregulation of emotions can have several negative impacts on an individual’s health, such as in daily life, social relationships, and academic performance, which can then result in wider mental health problems. 

Research has also found that nature connection can be an especially powerful tool for helping children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to regulate their emotions and foster development. The tranquillity of nature provides sensory stimulation that can help with cognitive development and increase levels of self-awareness. It can also help to soothe and reduce stress by providing a sense of peace and calm. Being outside in fresh air and the sun helps to boost immunity, and doing regular physical activity can promote good health and physical fitness.  

Nature can often provide children and young people with more shared experiences, therefore creating more social interaction and a sense of belonging that is often missing for some children. Green spaces are wonderful places for sparking the imagination and encouraging the creative juices to flow. Activities like creating a hammock in the trees and canopy gazing can work to create a relaxing and soothing space that allows the individual to regulate their emotions and engage with their surroundings.

Due to the research findings, now more than ever people are being encouraged to get outside in green spaces and spend more time connecting with nature, to reduce stress, help with relaxation, and encourage a more positive emotional mindset.  

Nature connection

Nature connection refers to our relationship with the natural world, encompassing how we think, feel, and experience it. It explores our emotional response to nature and how we explore. It also gives us a belief that we are part of nature and therefore encourages positive feelings and behaviours towards the natural world.

Research by the National Trust and Derby University developed the ‘five ways to mental well-being’, after research found that nature or the outdoors was mentioned very little in the mental health guidelines, despite lots of research showing how much good it does us. Nature connection activities don’t have to be complicated; they can be simple ideas like sitting quietly in a wood and seeing how many different natural sounds you can hear, or going on a scavenger hunt.

Emotional regulation

The term emotional regulation is the ability for a person to manage and control their emotional response to a scenario. It often involves strategies to cope with situations that can be challenging and therefore allows them to modulate their emotional reactions.

Sometimes individuals can struggle to effectively regulate their emotions, causing emotional dysregulation, which is generally more common in people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Struggling to regulate emotions can result in intense emotional reactions, and it is often harder to control strong impulses.

The eight senses play a pivotal role in providing our brains with important information about our bodies and the external environment. Which in turn helps the body to understand and respond to internal and external cues, which ultimately influences our emotions.  

Our Forest approach  

In the learning and skills team at the Heart of England Forest, we work with schools on a long-term basis rather than offering one-off visits. This is because evidence suggests that learning outside the classroom improves academic attainment and personal, social, and emotional development alongside engaging with the environment.

We also incorporate a nature connection activity into our sessions to explore nature and provide long-lasting memories. By doing this, we hope to foster a positive relationship with the environment and create a future generation that will look after nature.  

Find out more about us by visiting our website or get in touch using the contact details below.