There are lots of indicators that our relationship with nature is breaking down as our urban lives become faster paced, cocooned from the impacts of our own wasteful consumerist behaviours and attitudes; we only need to consider climate change or the crisis of biodiversity loss to see this is true. Simultaneously, antidepressant prescriptions in the UK have almost doubled in ten years and severe mental illness is on the rise with more young people being particularly susceptible.

It really is reassuring to walk through a woodland and fall into step with a world that is comfortable with itself and makes no demands - nature knows exactly what it should be doing, whether that’s squirrels hiding caches of nuts in the autumn, stoats in their winter coats in the snow winter or birds staking out territories in the spring.

Studies have shown that time spent connecting with nature can restore and improve your concentration capabilities. This is thought to be because it can give the part of the brain that is responsible for active concentration time to rest.

One of the most simple and effective techniques for improving wellbeing is to Notice Three Good Things in Nature. Multiple studies have shown that if you do this daily you will strengthen your levels of optimism and boost your mood.

If we want to keep ourselves emotionally and mentally well, we need to be able to shift from being busy, stressed or trapped in cycles of rumination and move towards calmer, more receptive frames of mind.

One of my favourite ways of doing this is taking a few minutes to Notice Details in nature – close gazing at a single leaf or feather.