This Mental Health Fix Is Free, Natural, and Probably in Your Backyard

In just 12 weeks, nature-based activities like gardening, care farming, and mindfulness in the fresh air significantly boosted the mental health of over 200 participants in England.

These community-rooted programs, part of a national test in green social prescribing, delivered improvements on par with traditional therapy, especially when people actively engaged with nature and did so with others.

Nature-Based Activities Show Fast Mental Health Benefits

Researchers have found that nature-based activities can improve mood and reduce anxiety in people with mild to moderate mental health conditions, in as little as 12 weeks.

The findings come from a UK government-backed initiative aimed at improving mental health care through “green social prescribing.” Seven pilot sites were set up across England, including one in Humber and North Yorkshire—the first to publish results from the national program.

Green social prescribing involves healthcare professionals referring patients to nature-based community activities – such as gardening, walking groups, or outdoor mindfulness sessions – as a way to support mental health alongside traditional treatments. While still in the testing phase, early results suggest these program could become a valuable addition to mental health services across the country.

Study Design and Participant Activities

In the Humber and North Yorkshire program, more than 220 participants took part. Their mental health was assessed before and after joining structured activities like horticulture, care farming, exercise, outdoor crafts, and mindfulness sessions.

The majority of participants took part in the program weekly between one and four weeks, five to eight weeks, and others between nine and 12 weeks. The team used the Office of National Statistics measures of personal well-being, as well as the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) to understand if participants had made improvements.

Stronger Gains in Longer Nature Engagement

Across the board, participants reported improvements in well-being and mental health. But participants who took part in longer programs – typically nine to 12 week –or took part in activities related to horticulture and care farming, showed greater improvements in mood and anxiety levels compared with those involved in shorter programs – one to four weeks – or in activities such as outdoor crafts, creative and mindfulness-based sessions, or sport and exercise.

The signs of improvement were similar to those seen in short-term cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), where someone might meet one-to-one with a therapist over a period ranging from six weeks to a year or more

Professor Peter Coventry, from the University of York’s Department of Health Sciences, said: “We have known for some time that nature has a positive impact on health and wellbeing, but in more recent years, a stronger evidence-base has grown that proves this to be true for mental health in particular.

Shared Experiences Boost Community Connection

“The fact that activities such as gardening, tending allotments, and care farming had the most impact on the participants in our study, demonstrated that it is not just about being passive in nature, but connecting with it in a meaningful way.

“There is also something to be said for connecting with nature in the company of other people who live in the same place as you. Anxiety and depression can often be born out of loneliness and feelings of disconnectedness, so it makes sense that taking part in shared activities close to home, especially those that involve caring for and improving your local environment, can help lift mood and reduce anxiety.”

Results Consistent Across Ages and Genders

The study showed that these positive impacts were seen in all ages, which ranged from age 18 to age 85, and across genders. Researchers are now calling for more investment to be made to support these community activities and the employment of green social prescribers that GPs and other health and social care professionals can refer their patients to.

Trish Darcy, research associate from the University’s Mental Health and Addiction Research Group, said: “This intervention might not work for everyone, but through an initial exploratory conversation a social prescriber will discuss with a patient or user of the service if nature-based activities would be suited to them, and for that choice to happen we need more investment to support these community-based activities”.

Benefits for Underserved Communities

“In our study, 65% of participants were from low socioeconomic groups and we now know that not only can it help improve their mental health, but participation was high for horticultural based activities in particular, meaning that not only is it good for the individual, but for the local community environment too.”

The evaluation, published in the journal Health & Social Care in the Community, was conducted in partnership with The HEY Smile Foundation and NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB).

Nature’s Role in Healthcare Innovation

Dr. Hannah Armitt, a Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Lead for the Humber and North Yorkshire ‘test and learn’ program, said: “The research conducted in our region has the potential to enhance service delivery by connecting statutory services with local providers of nature-based and outdoors activities.

“It is important to evidence the potential of green space and nature to ensure clinicians and patients alike can harness the benefits of this wonderful free natural resource we have in abundance in Yorkshire and Humber.”

The study formed part of a national cross-government project on green social prescribing, managed by DEFRA with support of national partners, including Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Natural England, Sport England and National Academy for Social Prescribing.

Community Organisations as Healthcare Allies

Anthony Hurd, Humber and North Yorkshire Green Social Prescribing Program Manager, said “This work has not only shown the positive outcomes that nature-based activities have on mental health, it has also highlighted the role that community-based organisations play in supporting the health and wellbeing of communities.

“As healthcare begins to move more into the community, and with a focus on prevention, the community-based organisations delivering activities such as gardening, care farming and walking groups need to be recognised as key players in our national health service and be resourced appropriately.”

Reference: “Green Social Prescribing: A Before and After Evaluation of a Novel Community-Based Intervention for Adults Experiencing Mental Health Problems” by P. M. Darcy, H. Armitt, A. Hurd, L. W. Paton, P. C. L. White and P. A. Coventry, 1 April 2025, Health & Social Care in the Community.