THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF BIRDSONG!

When it comes to mindfulness, there are all sorts of ways in which you can engage in this particular pursuit, whether that’s by focusing on your breath, doing some body scan practices, meditation, grounding… the list goes on and on!

No matter which mindfulness exercise you choose, you’re sure to find that anchoring yourself in the moment really helps you alleviate any feelings of stress, anxiety and depression you may be experiencing, so it’s certainly worth experimenting with different techniques to see which ones you find most effective.

A wonderful place to begin, however, is by listening to birdsong. There’s a growing body of research that suggests birdsong can be particularly beneficial for our mental health and the even better part about this practice is that it gets you out and about exploring nature and your local community, so you get lots of lovely fresh air at the same time.

To get going, all you have to do is walk out the front door and start tuning into the world around you. It can be difficult to maintain your focus and you’re sure to find that your mind wanders, but whenever it does don’t berate yourself for it. Simply continue bringing your attention to the birds.

Some are bound to be louder than others, so perhaps focus on those ones first, then start to deepen your listening once you’re ready to see what other quieter birds you can hear.

This also represents a great learning opportunity, helping you to connect even more deeply with nature by identifying the different songs and finding out which birds they belong to. Discover your favourites and listen out for them in particular. Being able to recognise different birds by their tunes is sure to bring a smile to your face!

Although you can, of course, pop to the local park or just go for a stroll down your street to hear the birds, you can really engage with wildlife even further if you come to one of my rural retreats in the heart of the Sussex countryside. Want to find out more? Give me a call today!