My natural prescription for happiness

Dr Lucy Loveday tells Jessica Salter how lockdowns have emphasised the importance of the great outdoors for mental health

Dr Lucy Loveday’s father, Christopher, first experienced mental health problems in the early 1990s when his chartered surveyor firm was hit badly by the recession. “My dad was essentially burnt- out and had a nervous breakdown,” the 39-year- old GP tells me over Zoom from her home in Dartmoor. “He was admitted to hospital in 1992 and managed to recover. When he came home, he found huge solace in running and gardening and even though I was very young at the time, I became really interested in the idea behind movement and nature and how they affect the mind.”

Christopher went on to raise millions of pounds for mental health services, as well as speaking out about his troubles and encouraging more people into exercise as a way to help their minds, earning an MBE in 2018. “Sadly, he’s had a bit of a relapse because of everything that’s happening at the moment,” she says. “So, it’s a real driver for me to continue his mission.”

Dr Loveday herself is passionate about being outdoors. As well as growing up watching her dad enjoy the countryside around the Downs, where she grew up, she is an outdoor swimmer (even in November) and a fell runner, as well as going for regular walks with her husband and children. “Any time I go out running or swimming, I instantly feel better. What I notice is that my brain has chance to sort itself out and work through my to- do lists and worries. It’s almost like mindfulness without having to sit and do mindfulness. It’s really life-affirming.”

There are countless studies that back up her beliefs, such as a long-running series of studies into “green health” – the concept of being out in nature and its positive effects on our minds – by the University of Essex, examinations into “forest bathing” – or simply taking a walk in the woods – by Japanese scientists and, more recently, work by the University of Exeter into the effects of “blue health” and how being in or near bodies of water can ramp up the health benefits of being outdoors even further. To add to the findings, last month researchers from Cambridge University discovered that cold water swimming may protect the brain from degenerative diseases like dementia.

Dr Loveday is passionate about all the research – her desk is stacked high with books and papers on the topic of movement and nature and mental health. But, I suggest, is it all quite, well, obvious? “Absolutely,” she agrees. “On one level, it’s blindingly obvious. But often we forget and need reminding. And having scientific studies behind the reasons why it’s so good for us gives it a real rigour that’s hard to ignore.”

Because we all, including Dr Loveday, can be guilty of forgetting to make time to get outside – especially in the cold and wet months. “There are

Dr Lucy Loveday, near home in Chagford, Devon, which she calls her ‘safe space’

moments when we all feel too busy or can’t be bothered,” she says. “I have to put it into my diary because I need it for my mental health.”

Which is why she has developed, in conjunction with the Lost Gardens of Heligan, a “Nature Wellbeing Toolkit” for us to follow. Thankfully, that doesn’t mean we have to go on Dr Loveday’s 10-mile, hilly runs to experience those mental health benefits. “Just being out in a wooded area has been shown to give quite powerful benefits, from lowering your cortisol and generally improving your mood,” she says.

She also says being out in nature can help us practise meditation – something we know from multiple studies can help us – without really trying. “If you go for a walk, and focus on finding something, like a butterfly, then all your attention gets concentrated down into this one task. It’s amazing how it helps clear your brain. It’s something that’s become really central to my life as well as with my children, and I hope I can pass it on to others,” she says.

Many of us found solace in our gardens during the first lockdown: a survey found it was the nation’s second-favourite pastime. Dr Loveday says it’s where her father is recovering – “it’s his safe space” and it’s also becom

‘Just being out in a wooded area has been shown to give quite powerful benefits’

‘It’s become central to my life as well as with my children, and I hope I can pass it on to others’

ing hers. “Gardening means that you’re literally sowing seeds for the future; while everything is so uncertain it can feel very hopeful.”

She believes that some of these techniques could be used in some instances instead of medicine and her goal is to create a national “green prescription”. “That would involve putting nature at the heart of mainstream healthcare and encouraging GPs in the primary care network to prescribe it.” She says there are lots of like-minded initiatives going on, “but they feel quite fragmented; I want to see them standardised and embedded in the NHS.”

But her biggest and most pressing concern right now is loneliness. “I’ve seen it prior to Covid-19 and I’ve experienced it myself, but right now there are even more people suffering from it. We need to reach out to each other and be mindful of people who are on their own and might need our help, or if we feel lonely, to ask for help. Saying, “actually, I’m not OK”, is very powerful. It might give someone else permission to say, “I’m not OK either” and create a connection, or it might let people in to help. We’ve got to find ways to keep connected to each other.”

Of course, she also feels that connecting with nature is part of the puzzle. “I believe that you never feel lonely when you’re in nature. When you’re surrounded by trees and bird song and creatures all around, it can give you such a new and healing perspective.”