A recent survey has found that nearly every woman believes being outdoors is beneficial to her mental wellbeing.
While it is not shocking to find out that nature has a positive impact on emotional health, it is, perhaps, surprising to learn 99 per cent of females from 44 different countries thought so, with 94.9 per cent strongly agreeing.
Women in Adventure’s 2017/18 Mental Wellbeing Survey also found that 92 per cent thought spending time outdoors improved their physical wellbeing, 74 per cent said it boosted their self-esteem, and 70 per cent believed it improved their resilience and outlook of the future.
Lead researcher at Women in Adventure Hetty Key said: “Instinctively, I think we know that spending time outdoors is good for us. When I launched the survey, I felt there was a lack of accessible information showing how and to what extent the outdoors impacts our lives.”
Hiking was the most popular sport among respondents, with 62 per cent partaking in this activity, and those who hiked regularly reported better-than-average levels of happiness.
While getting back to nature has proved to be so important for mental health in these findings, many people might also benefit from looking at the beauty of the outdoors from an illustrated coffee table book.
Into The Woods – A Celebration of Trees, containing 40 high-quality photos of Debbie Baxter’s original landscape paintings, for instance, enables the reader to go on a “magical journey” through tranquil woodlands on those days they can’t make it outdoors themselves. For more information on the tome, take a look here.
