wellbeing
Gardening can do what medicine only ‘tries to mimic’ for mental health, Monty Don says
“That first snowdrop, the flowering of the rose you pruned, a lettuce you grew from seed, the robin singing just for you. These are small things but all positive, all healing in a way that medicine tries to mimic.” Helena…
Read more
‘I feel imprisoned’: why loneliness won’t be solved by national planners
“As lockdown eases, the government’s fixation on top-down strategy is risking the mental health of the loneliest citizens” A centralised approach characterises many government schemes in relation to mental health and wellbeing (the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme, for…
Read more
Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design
“The happy city, the green city and the low-carbon city are the same place, and we can all help build it.” More than 80% of the population in England (and more than 50% globally) now live in urban environments. In…
Read more
Locating oneself in the past to influence the present: Impacts of Neolithic landscapes on mental health well-being
This research paper has been published in Health & Place. The abstract says: “There are well-established links between mental health and the environment. Mental illness is a global issue, and international policies increasingly focus on promoting mental health well-being through community-based approaches,…
Read more
It’s Not Always Depression
Why governments should prioritise well-being
In 2018, Scotland, Iceland and New Zealand established the network of Wellbeing Economy Governments to challenge the acceptance of GDP as the ultimate measure of a country’s success. In this 10 minute TED Talk – see video below – the…
Read more
Performing Arts for Positive Mental Health
“The provision of innovative, quality arts and wellbeing activities, alongside tailored pastoral support, aiming to improve youth mental health and emotional resilience.” Jack Drum Arts say: What we doOur diverse programme is delivered by professional artists and trained pastoral staff for young people…
Read more
Nature Rx Part 1
This 90 second video (see below) is set in a pre-Corona virus era, when the current restrictions on going outside did not exist. It has been written and directed by Justin Bogardus, starring Jed Lazar, with Director of Photography Joe…
Read more