Spending time in nature is good for you..

Mindfullness is very trendy right now because it is claimed to help you cope with anxiety and stress and build resilience.  But does it help you if you are depressed?  This is the question that researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine tried to answer in a recent study. During the study, 31 women most of whom had done nothing to help themselves to deal with their depression in the last 12 months, participated in an mindfullness group.  They practicied mindfullness meditation and yoga on average 150 minutes per week.  Before starting the study 45% said they had no experience of mediation and 71% said they had never tried yoga. The primary outcome, depression and secondary outcomes (stress, mindfulness, functioning, well-being and depression stigma) were assessed at start of the study and then again at weeks 8 and 16 weeks .  The depressive symptoms significantly decreased during the study, in addition the stigma of depression increased from the start of the study to 8 weeks and then significantly decreased between 8 to 16 weeks of the study.  A significant decrease in stress and significant increase in mindfulness was found at week 8 and the end of the study when compared to the start of the study.  In addition, the women reported increased sense of well-being including self-acceptance and growth. In conclusion mindfulness medication can reduce levels of depression and stress as much as powerful drugs and psychotherapy do. Reference I E Burnett-Zeigler, M D Satyshur, S Hong, A Yang et al, 2016, Mindfulness based stress reduction adapted for depressed disadvantaged women in an urban Federally Qualified Health Centre, Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice;  25; 59 - 67 see >> http://www.ctcpjournal.com/article/S1744-3881(16)30072-X/abstract

It is very easy right now with the constant news reports about the spread of Coronavirus to flip from being informed and aware to worried about our own health & saftey and that of our friends & family. So right now acknowledge how you feel about the spread of the Coronavirus, whether its anxiety, worried, fear etc.  Often what happens when we get anxious, worried or fearful is that we project that state into our future.  So at this current moment, most us are healthy; our loved ones are well, and life is fine. So, be grateful for the things that are going well in your life right now and focus on the present.  And breath! Two long running studies in the US which collected information from male war veterans and female nurses aged around 60 to 70 years old when they completed optimisim questionaires.  People who had the highest optimism scores had a lifespan about 9% longer than those with the lowest scores.  The most optimistic were in fact no more likely to live to the age of 85. This reseach cannot prove cause and effect.  Both optimisim and lifespace may be influenced by many hereditary, health, lifestyle and personal factors.  People with a good overall standard of health and wellbeing are probably more optimistic about their future.  While researchers attempted to adjust their analysis for these sorts of factors, it's hard to remove their influence fully. Nevertheless the research does highlight that optimists live longer and the importance that mental health and wellbeing can have on physical health. So right now focus on what is going well in your life. Research https://www.nhs.uk/news/mental-health/reason-be-cheerful-optimists-live-longer-study-reports/

At this time of year, especially living in the UK, we are very aware of the long grey days and how this can lead to a Vitamin D [...]