Lessons from healing in nature – a patient’s view

In 2023-2024 Ellen experienced a significant amount of time in hospital. Here she shares her lessons from healing in nature and how plants and wildlife got her through some difficult moments as she recovered.

This blog is an open thank you to the staff at Southmead Hospital who created spaces for nature around the hospital estate, to the NHS Forest and Centre for Sustainable Healthcare for their leadership in bringing nature into NHS settings, but most of all to nature for giving me something positive to focus on during periods of illness, bringing me comfort during pain and hope when things felt hopeless.

Throughout 2023 and for much of the start of 2024 I spent a lot of time as an inpatient at Southmead Hospital in Bristol. Over 18 months I had around 16 hospital admissions, 4 emergency bowel operations, multiple bowel obstructions, countless cannulas and blood tests, a stoma, a prolapsed stoma, a reversed stoma, a PICC line to enable IV feeding… the list goes on and on. Like the ever-turning revolving doors at the entrance to the hospital, it felt like I’d get discharged only to be readmitted. I’m an active, nature loving person. I work for Forestry England in our national recreation team. I love trail running, outdoor swimming and walking in nature, so adjusting to the hospital environment, which is often bright, noisy, busy, over-stimulating, exhausting, draining was a challenge. Luckily, I knew that nature is everywhere – if you look hard enough. So, with nature as my focus and teacher, I set out to create a daily picture collage inspired by the nature I could find around the hospital. This is my hospital (or should that be nature?) story in pictures.

Lessons from healing in nature number 1 – when the big picture feels overwhelming, focus on the small things

I started with my favourite colour, pink, and discovered splashes of vibrancy leaping out at me from flowerpots, borders and even through cracks in the pavements. As I walked and focused on finding pinks, I stopped worrying about tomorrow’s ward round, or whether the pain would increase again, or if I’d need yet another operation. Instead, I became present and my spirits lifted. These pink flowers were basking in the sunshine and, for a moment, so would I.

In a similar vein, sometimes we focus too much on the end goal, the ultimate outcome, the place or time when we’ll be ‘happy’. When you’re ill this dream place seems incredibly out of reach. Looking for glimmers of hope, however, is something we can do at any time, in any place. I couldn’t magically make myself better, but I could recognise moments of joy.

Lessons from healing in nature number 2 – there is beauty in darkness too

Let’s make one thing clear, being ill is rubbish. Lesson number 1, finding colour and glimmers, is important, but so is allowing yourself to let the darkness in, to feel tired, sad, angry, and bloomin’ fed up! Staying positive and upbeat is exhausting and not sustainable. But nature, of course, knows and shows us this. It teaches us that there is a time for darkness, for stillness, for being with the uncomfortable, and that too is part of progress and is beautiful.

And as we know, day will follow night, sunshine will follow rain…

Lessons from healing in nature number 3 – everything in its own time, progress isn’t always linear

I was an inpatient in Southmead Hospital through every season. Through the hospital windows, I watched snowflakes flutter down over frost-covered roof tops. I breathed my first fresh-air breaths in weeks as I ventured outside for the first time just as daffodils started to show signs of yellow flowers bursting out of their buds. I escaped the sauna which was the ward in summer to seek out the shade of a full canopy of green leaves. I allowed tears to flow alongside the falling yellow, red and brown leaves of autumn and then, again, I watched those frozen roof tops and wondered if it would snow this winter. The seasons helped me accept that everything happens in its own time, that – like the seasons – you can’t rush healing, but that, with patience, things move along, they change, they find their way. During the periods of illness, I held onto the hope of spring and waited for things to fall into place. During the periods of better health, I savoured the days of sun, accepting that they wouldn’t be forever.

The difference healing in nature made to me

I’m very grateful that Southmead Hospital has so many beautiful green and natural spaces – trees in the main atrium and views of the courtyard areas from the wards, paintings and photos of trees in A&E, colourful garden spaces you can sit in even whilst hooked up to a drug stand, areas of wildflower meadow making a habitat for foxes, birds and butterflies, green walking routes and an allotment (are just a few examples). I was also incredibly fortunate to receive excellent care from the staff looking after me who understood how important it was for me to be able to get off the ward, sit by a window, or share a photo I’d taken, and would do everything they could to make this happen for me.

I’m now, happily, back working for Forestry England and have created a Virtual Forest Hub which you can use, from anywhere, to bring nature into your life – give it a go.

I hope that by sharing my experience, it will enable others to seek out nature during periods of illness and will help raise the profile of the importance of creating natural spaces in and around healthcare settings.

Read more about how patients can help support the development of green spaces on healthcare sites.