This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and it is well documented that spending time in nature, physical exercise and spending time outside are all beneficial for our mental wellbeing.
Mindfulness is a way of becoming more present and mindful and is shown that over time it can help reduce feelings of stress and increase satisfaction. A Sit Spot can be a form of mindfulness and is a way of slowing down and taking time to notice nature, yourself and your place in nature.
Out and About – Sit Spot
It was way back in the first week of lockdown when I started this blog and one of the activities for being in the garden was a Sit Spot. I thought that as the lockdown rules have relaxed about being allowed to go outside for relaxation and recreation, it would be good to try another Sit Spot and perhaps somewhere more wild. The beach, woods, park or meadows will all offer completely different experiences, as will the weather and time of day.
Why not stop in a quiet place when you are out and about today and spend just 3 minutes (or more) noticing nature using any or all of your senses. My favourite way to have a Sit Spot is to lay on the ground.
In the Garden – Natural Body Tattoos
Making natural paints is always fun but using them to decorate you body a temporary tattoos instead of paper is even better!
You will need: chalk, charcoal, berries (blackberries and raspberries are best), clay and mud, a pebble or stone (for crushing the chalk and charcoal), recycled pots to mix the paints in and a stirring stick.
Try it –
Crush the chalk and charcoal into a powder in separate pots with a pebble or wooden mallet. Add a little water and mix into a runny paste with a stick. You will make a black and white paint.
Mix a small amount of mud or clay with water and stir well. You will make a brown and grey paint.
Crush and mix berries with a little water. you will make a red/purple paint.
For paint brushes you can use feathers, thin or fat sticks or even wine corks.
Enjoy the sensation of the wet paints on your skin and decorate your body.
Staying at Home – Flower pressing
This is a very pleasing nature activity that can create very satisfying results in a week! You need very few resources: small flowers or grasses, tissues, a flower press or some heavy books.
While you are out on a walk or in the garden, collect a selection of small flowers or interesting grasses. Remember to only pick a few and leave the rest for the bees and other pollinators. Place the flower gently between 2 layers of tissue and press within a heavy book or flower press and leave for a week.
You can then use them to make cards or bookmarks as gifts or for yourself.