When Poppy Wildman was struck down with a disabling illness that left her immobile and isolated from social activities, access to a wild garden became a lifeline. So when she finally made a recovery she headed for the hills and forests, determined to live a life in touch with nature while sharing its benefits with others. Here, Poppy talks us through her journey to starting Wild and Wonder, who offer forest bathing and other therapeutic nature-based experiences in Notts.
In the summer of 2020, as the world struggled through the confusion, stress and grief of the first covid lockdown, I was facing a personal challenge of my own. My body felt like it was not working. I was eighteen, a keen party-goer and a competitive athlete on a sports scholarship to the University of Birmingham, but suddenly I found myself so shrouded in intense fatigue I could barely walk down my street. By the end of year, the fatigue had gotten so bad I could not sit up unaided, and I would spend the next eighteen months lying on my sofa, barely able to speak. Eventually, I was diagnosed with severe ME, for which the doctors told me there was no cure and very little help. I would just have to learn to live in this way.
ME is short for myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. It’s a long-term condition associated with changes in the nervous and immune systems, with no known cause. It can affect different people in different ways, sometimes involving nausea, dizziness, and pain, but it’s most commonly associated with the extreme, debilitating tiredness that I felt.
It was during this time that I first found solace in nature. I was very lucky that, living with my mum, I had access to a wildlife friendly garden. I also began using a wheelchair, in which my mum could help me access the park and green spaces around where we lived once a day. Alongside the time I spent cuddling my cat, Natasha, who sadly passed away last year, it was in these moments spent lying in the grass, surrounded perhaps by a few trees and some birdsong, that I truly felt happiness, gratitude and love for life in spite of everything.
While a difficult time in my life to reflect on, despite doctors’ bleak prognosis and the lack of medical support that is unfortunately typical of those experiencing chronic illnesses, I was incredibly fortunate to make a rapid recovery in the summer of 2022. Within a few months, I was climbing mountains and enjoying my life, determined not to be ‘back to normal’, but rather to live an extraordinary life, with genuine happiness and joy, and to teach other people how to do the same. For me, this meant embracing nature.
We as humans are nature; we evolved with the trees and the flowers and the birds, not with concrete and bricks and car fumes
I think we all know that spending time in nature is good for us, but I do believe many of us still underestimate the extent of this. We as humans are nature; we evolved with the trees and the flowers and the birds, not with concrete and bricks and car fumes. Countless peer-reviewed studies continually show that spending time in nature has a tangible effect on our physical, mental and emotional health, from reducing blood pressure to helping with depression. I know anecdotally myself that being in nature significantly reduced my feelings of anxiety and depression, as well as reducing my symptoms of pain and fatigue, and still today I feel more energised, calmer and happier when I am in a green space or woodland, even if it is just my garden.
It is for this reason that I decided to train as a Nature Therapy Practitioner and as Forest School Leader. Inspired by the powerful nature wellbeing events I attended when I was just recovered from my period of illness, earlier this year I started a nature wellbeing project under the name Wild and Wonder as a means of encouraging more people in my community to engage with and spend time in nature. Primarily, I run forest bathing events, or Shinrin-Yoku as it is called in its native Japanese.
By allowing people to see for themselves the positive impact spending meaningful time in nature can have on their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, we encourage people to develop a deep love and respect for their natural environment and green spaces
The idea behind forest bathing came about in Japan in the 1980s as doctors began prescribing the practice in response to the country becoming more and more urbanised. Forest bathing is all about time spent in nature disconnected from our phones and technology and reconnected instead to our senses. It can be practised alone, simply by mindfully going out into a forest or green space, and it can also be practised as part of a group guided by a trained facilitator. As a guide, I run regular sessions in Nottinghamshire, primarily based in Rushcliffe, where we practise forest bathing either as a stand alone guided mindfulness practice, or in combination with other mindful, nature connection activities, such as nature crafts or fungi forays.
As well as connecting to nature, forest bathing sessions are also brilliant ways of socialising in a calm and friendly environment with like-minded people, and a fantastic way to connect to ourselves through mindfulness. As well as being good for the wellbeing of us as humans, these experiences are great for our natural environment, which is becoming increasingly in need of our support and protection. This is because the first step to taking action to protect something is to feel the motivation to want to protect it.
By allowing people to see for themselves the positive impact spending meaningful time in nature can have on their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, we encourage people to develop a deep love and respect for their natural environment and green spaces, which encourages more people to get involved with measures to protect and support wildlife locally across Nottinghamshire. I currently run sessions once or twice a month, usually at Rushcliffe Country Park, each with a different theme or focus to reflect the season, and anyone is welcome along.
I sincerely hope my story has inspired hope for those experiencing difficult situations, and has provided inspiration to seek out nature, whether through my work or independently. If you are interested in getting involved with what I do, you can find out more on my Instagram.
Find out more by searching ‘Wild and Wonder’ on Facebook and Eventbrite, or follow Poppy via her Instagram.
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