Can you do something 'wild' everyday for a month?
Chris Hitchings
主播大秀 Springwatch Digital Team
How wild are you?
That’s what The Wildlife Trusts want to know this June. It is encouraging people to get out and do something different and wild everyday for a month. Their campaign, 30 days wild, is in its third year - the charity say it's a great way to bring a little more nature into our lives. The idea is to discover what is on our doorsteps, learn about our environment and ultimately take steps to help preserve it and the creatures that call it 'home'.
Research shows that being outside is good for our mental health. Last year,
Kate Morris took part last year and says it really benefitted her.
"I took part in in 2016 and throughout the month. I wanted to explain why I took part in the campaign and the impact that 30 Days Wild has had on me."
Kate Morris, who says taking part in #30dayswild helped her overcome post natal depression.
She added: "After the birth of our children, I suffered with post-natal anxiety and depression. Until I took part in 30 Days Wild, I had never spoken about my mental health to anyone other than my doctor and my partner. I was on medication but it didn’t seem to be enough. Life wasn’t always easy"
"By May last year, I was beginning to a bit feel better and decided to sign up for the challenge.
I’m so glad that I did. 30 Days Wild ‘took me out of myself’ and enabled me to re-discover my enjoyment of writing, nature and photography. I became immersed in doing something to connect with wildlife each day, and the children loved exploring too; everything from ladybird houses, and drawing nature maps, to pretending to be birds!"
"Looking back now, comparing the beginning of the month, with the end, I’m surprised at how much I had changed. Living with depression was like living with Harry Potters dementors, sucking the fun out of everything. Immersing myself in nature, thinking about what I’d write, being creative, getting out in the fresh air, walking, teaching my two wild spirits about the world they live in helped me fend off the darkness. The month passed in a blur of nettle stings and nature trips, bird tables and bio blitzing, growing greens and feeding bees. By the end of the month the dementors has disappeared, and I realised over the last 30 days I’d re-discovered excitement, happiness, and healing."
Getting out into the great outdoors can be really good for your mental health.
"I found inspiration, and wider horizons through the Facebook group and other 30 Days Wild bloggers; and my writing has gone from strength to strength. Of course, my depression hasn’t completely disappeared: 30 Days Wild isn’t a cure-all. But it helped pull me out of a black hole, and feel more like myself again."
#30dayswild starts on the 1st of June and is run by The Wildlife Trusts.
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