How Watching Wildlife Can Improve Your Wellbeing

Wildlife and Wellbeing

Wildlife and wellbeing. We all know how relaxing and soothing it can be to sit in our gardens or the local park and simply watch the world go by. Well now, a study from Exeter University has proven that taking a few minutes out of your day to watch wildlife, actually has a huge positive effect on your mental health!

Watching Birds Can Help You Maintain Good Mental Health

Taking just a few minutes out of your hectic daily routine to relax and unwind can have a dramatic effect on your stress levels. Just getting outside and enjoying the fresh air can help you to feel calmer and more relaxed. Why not schedule in regular walks when you get home from work, to help you unwind and forget about the events of the day? We should all take some time to ourselves to switch off and just enjoy the world around us and what better way than immersing yourself in the great outdoors!

How Birds Are Helping to Battle Stress

The recent study showed that the more birds seen, resulted in lower stress levels. Spending just a little more time in your garden and paying close attention to the types of birds that pay you a visit, can help you to switch off your brain and take some time to simply enjoy the day. If you can’t tell your tits from your sparrows, do not fear. The study found that species of bird had no correlation on stress levels. It was purely the quantity, not the quality, that helped elevate the respondent's mental health. This means that no matter if you are a bird watching pro or an amateur nature enthusiast, there really is no excuse to get outside!

Including Bird Watching In Your Routine

You may be wondering how on earth you can fit some down time into your busy routine. When will you ever get time to sit down and just enjoy the view? Don’t worry, at Kennedy Wild Bird Food we have some really helpful ways. The easiest way to fit some bird watching into your daily routine is to multi-task. Things like eating your lunch outside can help you make the most of your allocated lunch hour. You can even dine al fresco at home during the summer months to get that extra bit of fresh air into your day. Another alternative is that you could improve your physical health whilst improving your mental wellbeing. Take up an outdoor activity such as jogging or even hiking, to help get some downtime outside, whilst improving your fitness. Many people forget to look after their mental health and focus their energies on eating well and getting regular exercise. However, our mental health is equally important and letting it slip can have negative effects on all aspects of our wellbeing. From struggling to sleep to gaining weight, it’s important to make time for yourself and what better way to do it than spending some time with the wildlife that surrounds us!

19th Jun 2017 Kennedy Wild