Hi My name is Rebecca, I am 23 years old and you may see me about RSPB Old Moor as a volunteer with my camera and camcorder walking around the reserve. I have been motivated to write this blog because of the positive impacts that nature has on people's mental health - definitely after the last few years with the pandemic. Nature has definitely been a source of relief for me personally and research carried out by the leading mental health charity, “MIND”, proves this.
How can nature benefit mental health?
Spending time in green spaces or bringing nature into your everyday life can benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing. For example, doing things like growing food or flowers, exercising outdoors or being around animals can have lots of positive effects.
It can:
Nature and me
I have always had a great passion for nature and the natural environment growing up close to the River Dearne and the adjoining fields. My favourite birds are robins, and my favourite animals are snakes. For my 16th birthday my mam and dad got me a pet corn snake called Indy, I have had him for 7 years so far.
I am inspired by David Attenborough, Chris Packham, Iolo Williams and Steve Backshall. I love watching BBC Springwatch, Winterwatch and Autumnwatch. The best part of the programme is the mindfulness minutes. They make me stop what I am doing, and I just focus on the TV. It makes me feel like I am in that certain place, which brings me a sense of joy and happiness.
As a person my self-confidence is bad, When the covid 19 pandemic started and the first lockdown began, I started to go into the natural environment more as a way to deal with the boredom from not going to university and relieve the stress of online learning. It just felt like I was doing the same thing day-to-day.
One day I decided to get my camera and camcorder out, and I started to film the wildlife in my back garden with my dad. It was a fantastic way to pass the time. It felt like the time was going a lot faster recording from morning to night. When we started to look back through the footage, I thought, “Wow, we have taken some great shots in the past few weeks”. I then submitted some of my squirrel footage to ITV Calendar for the weather reports, and on the weekend of the week I submitted it got shown by Jon Mitchell, I was over the moon, and since that point I have made a number of nature films with my dad which have been very successful across the world, winning multiple awards.
I feel more confident and happier in nature and the natural environment, knowing it’s just me and the camera. I have come to a point where being in the natural environment has got me to a point where I can be happy again, it’s a place where I can go to forget about all of my fears and worries. I can call Nature a second home to me, a place of coping mechanisms and a place to feel relaxed, calm and happy. Because of nature’s healing process, I am strong enough to look positively at my future and am now enrolled at Barnsley University, studying for a BA fine art. And in September I move to Sheffield University where I will be studying for an MA in Filmmaking. I would not have had the strength to make such a decision after the Lockdowns.
I hope that you enjoy some of my photography.
My pet corn snake Indy
Robin on the feeders at old Moor
Black Bird, Old Moor feeders