The Emotional Benefits Of Nature During The Winter Months

Winter can be an extremely tough time for many people. While it can be difficult to get outside and surround yourself in nature, it can be just as beneficial for the heart and mind to do so as it is for the body.

Whilst the idea of Blue Monday is largely a myth invented by travel agents by co-opting the name of an iconic New Order song, it is hardly surprising that winter can be difficult at the best of times.

However, for people grieving or who have an anniversary of loss during winter, the emotional weight of the season can be particularly heavy.

Why is this? And can a memorial in and around nature help us to process?

How Can Nature Counteract The Effects Of Seasonal Sadness?

We often underestimate just how strong our connection to the natural world is. This can feel especially true during the harshest parts of winter, when we can often feel disconnected from it and seeing the verdant greenery disappear by late autumn can sometimes be difficult and cause us to feel low.

At its strongest, it can lead to a seasonal affective disorder, an intense form of depression that begins in winter and ends as the weather improves.

Exactly why this occurs is a complex mix of neurophysical and psychological causes. Reduced daylight, less accessible natural environments and more time spent indoors to fight the cold can all play a part.

According to the University of New Hampshire, getting out whenever you can, spending time in the green spaces that are around and staying active can all help to counter these natural effects.

This is what makes natural green spaces around places of rest so vital. Through our Parks, we hope to provide a fitting memorial, a celebration of life and a place where people can start moving forward.

Can Embracing Natural Change Help With Grief?

In the past few decades, people around the world have increasingly embraced the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, a celebration of the beauty of imperfection and impermanence that often stands in contrast to other philosophies which covet a type of eternal monument.

It is the idea that age, transition and the changing of seasons add to the unique beauty of life, typically characterised in three ways that are epitomised through natural memorials:

• Imperfection: Uniqueness and authentic character matter more than symmetry, and there is a beauty in basking in that change.
• Incompleteness: Whilst we are naturally drawn to complete stories, wabi-sabi as a philosophy is about celebrating and appreciating every journey.
• Impermanence: Wabi-sabi is about the acceptance that everything is subject to the passage of time, and both beauty and serenity are found in that transition. 

All of these tenets are found in glorious abundance in nature, particularly over the winter months. There are paths and patterns forged by nature and our interactions with it, the rings of trees and the ways in which branches grow, which are more visible following the autumn’s fall.

Accepting and embracing these changes as a fundamental part of life allows you to embrace and celebrate the moments you have had with your loved ones as part of a journey.

Can Embracing Nature In Winter Help Improve Resilience?

Whilst there are many benefits to embracing nature all year round, there is a temptation to see winter nature walks as something important to do in spite of the season. However, winter provides its own unique benefits even compared to other parts of the year.

Most importantly, getting out can be an achievement in itself and a small step towards building resilience, a vital part of healing after trauma.

Resilience is the quality that helps us begin to rebuild after a loss. The first step, figuratively and literally, can be to step outside and engage with natural environments at their rawest and starkest.

Every step you take is a victory and forges a path of mental strength that comes from embracing each of the victories we have.

As well as this, nature hikes are often especially vivid, with every part of your senses enhanced through the cold winter weather and its effects on the environment around you.

The frost and snow on the ground, the crisp sensation of every breath and the gentle noise of the wind cannot help but draw your attention to the world around you and to the moment you are living in.

The power of mindfulness has been increasingly discussed in recent years. Whilst the focus is often on intentional practice through activities such as meditation, spending time in nature during the winter can offer a similar sense of mental calm, particularly when contemplating heavier subjects.