Did you know that during the Coronavirus pandemic 45% of us felt that being outside in green spaces did amazing things for our mental wellbeing?

Watching footage of wildlife webcams also increased by over 2,000% which is pretty cool as people wanted to experience nature.

Nature is vital for our emotional and psychological health, so much so that it is the theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week which takes place on the 10^th until 16^th May.

It can improve your mood, reduce stress and anxiety as well as help you make new connections and become more active.

The goal of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is to try and get people to connect with, and value, nature and the solace it brings to our lives. So, with this in mind we thought we’d share the Voice team’s favourite places to go to be by nature.

Our MD Nichola goes cold water swimming at Perranporth, in Newquay, every Friday, being in the sea calms her and helps takes away any stress that she has accumulated during the week, it brings her into presence and she feels connected to the natural world. She also loves walking barefoot on the amazing beaches in Cornwall and loves visiting woods like Cardinham Woods. One of her favourite walks is at Trelissick, a National Trust Estate with 300 acres to explore with stunning river views and woodland walks.

Our Senior Account Director Jess loved her experience at Kruger National Park in South Africa. It’s one of Africa’s largest game reserves featuring the Big Five and has a diverse range of wildlife and greenery to enjoy.

Coming a bit closer to home, Meg, our Senior Account Manager and Lucy, our Account Manager, like to spend time in the woods in Colchester because of how peaceful and tranquil it is. Forestry England carried out research that found visiting forestry environments can help reduce blood pressure and create sensory experiences.

Senior Account Executive Maisie’s favourite spot to surround herself in nature is Cavo Greco National Forest Park in Cyprus. The perfect place to be in Spring as the wildflowers are coming to life and you get to enjoy the ocean breeze. From breathing in less polluted air and taking in more sunlight – being near the water has so many physical and mental benefits. Sam, our PPC Account Executive also loves being near the sea, sitting on the rocks at his favourite beach in Newquay soaking up the sunshine.

Account Executive Katie and Digital Marketing Specialist Emily both enjoy going for walks with their dogs as they get to experience different aspects of nature whether that’s by walking on a coastal path or being surrounded by fields. Their dogs Poe and Bertie always love sniffing out the different wildlife and flowers too!

We are lucky at Voice to have such a supportive network of people around us and some amazing places which we can go to experience nature and safeguard our mental health.

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