Pathways to Connection with Nature

12th June 2022

‘Connecting’ is one of the Five Ways of Wellbeing and in this article we will be looking at ‘Connecting with Nature’. There is a wealth of evidence that increased nature connection brings health and wellbeing benefits to people, including reducing stress and anxiety, increasing resilience and improving immune functioning. We also have a symbiotic relationship with nature in that nature influences our health and we influence the health of the planet.

Connection with nature is about much more than just being in nature or exposed to nature. Nature-connectedness is about really tuning in to your surroundings and noticing what is happening around you through all your senses, and you don’t necessarily need to move at all, in fact the slower you go, the better you tend to connect. Nature-connection activities should help you to feel more in tune with nature and a part of nature rather than apart from nature. It is all about appreciating the wonder and beauty in nature and the natural environment, rather than about ‘knowledge’. Nature-connection is not about wildlife or tree-identification, it involves shifting your attention and focus from learning about what something in nature is to how things in nature make you feel.

There are many different ways that people can connect with nature, and the specific pathways that are most meaningful or important to an individual may vary:

1. Physical activities in nature: Engaging in physical activities in natural settings, such as walking, cycling, swimming, or birdwatching, can be a great way to connect with the natural world and feel more grounded and present.

2. Mindfulness practices: Engaging in mindfulness practices such as Forest Bathing or practices such as meditation or yoga in a natural setting, can help you connect with the present moment and cultivate a sense of peace and connection with the natural world.

3. Gardening or farming: Working with plants and soil in a garden or farm setting can be a rewarding way to connect with nature and contribute to the environment.

4. Nature-based therapy: Some people find it helpful to work with a therapeutic practitioner or another professional who uses nature-based approaches to promote well-being.

5. Artistic expression: Creating art that celebrates or reflects upon the natural world can be a way to connect with nature on a deeper level and express your feelings and thoughts about the environment.

6. Indirect experiences: This can include activities such as reading about nature, watching nature documentaries, or looking at pictures of nature that allow people to learn about and appreciate nature without physically being in it.

7. Service and stewardship: This can include activities such as volunteering for environmental organisations or participating in conservation efforts that allow people to actively contribute to the health and well-being of the natural world.

The 5 Pathways to Connection with Nature

The Nature-Connectedness Research Centre at the University of Derby has also described five ways that people can build a better relationship with their natural environment.

Pathway One - Sensory contact with the natural world

This pathway is about tuning in to nature through the senses.

Notice and actively engage with nature, spending time fully experiencing nature with all your senses.

• Sit and listen to the birdsong

• Smell wild flowers

• Watch the breeze move the trees

• Go barefoot

• Taste the fruits of nature.

Pathway Two - Finding an emotional bond with nature

This pathway is about feeling alive through the emotions that nature brings.

• Engage emotionally with nature by finding joy in wildlife

• Find happiness and wonder in nature, such as in a spider's web

• Note the good things in nature and the joy and calm that they bring

• Embrace Nature in times of sorrow by reflecting on and sharing your feelings about nature with others

Pathway Three - Taking time to appreciate the beauty of nature

This pathway is about noticing nature's beauty and finding beauty throughout the natural world, taking time each day to appreciate the beauty in nature and engaging with it through art and words.

• Create a piece of eco-art in your local woods or on the beach from fallen branches and leaves or pebbles and shells

• Paint a picture

• Try mindful photography

• Visit somewhere with an awe-inspiring view

Pathway Four - Reflecting on the meaning of nature

This pathway is about exploring and expressing the meaning that nature brings to our lives, noticing how nature appears in songs and stories, poems and art, how natural spaces are special places and celebrating the mystery, signs and cycles of nature.

• You could keep a reflective journal

• Read folk stories about nature

• Celebrate the solstice, the first cuckoo of Spring or the falling of the last leaf on the tree

Pathway Five - Showing compassion and caring for nature

This pathway is about taking action and caring about nature. Think what you can do for nature and take actions that are good for nature. Recognise shared life stories and be a part of the community of nature.

• Feed the birds

• Plant some wild flowers

• Take part in a beach clean

• Put up a nest box

• Support conservation and rewinding projects

• Buy eco-friendly products

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