A bolt from the blue?

Dr Sanaa Sheikh

General Practice Registrar – Public Health shares her story about discovering her local park

It is said that interacting with nature can do wonders for our mental and physical health – something that I didn’t quite appreciate until recently. Sitting one afternoon in my GP office, with the rain and sound of thunder in the background, I sat flicking through the patients coming in that afternoon. Wondering about the sorts of cases I may be faced with, I ran through hypothetical scenarios and how I would manage these in my head. Detached from my physical surroundings, I was quickly brought back to the present by another loud clap of thunder. Startled, looking out of my office window, I remember thinking to myself ‘wait…has that park always been there…?’

Having worked at the GP practice for one and a half months, and having been so preoccupied with my work, I had never taken the time to register the nature in my surroundings.

The next day, I made a point to go for a lunchtime walk. Finishing up my morning clinic, I walked over to the back of the carpark and decided to explore. Thirty minutes later, I had discovered three different parks near the GP practice. From a park with a woodlands section, to another with a children’s play area, I was pleasantly surprised to note the facilities available in the local community.

The following day, I decided to take a colleague with me. What started as an almost incidental finding, soon progressed into a daily habit. Completing our morning clinics, we would go for our lunchtime walks; this not only gave us the chance to stretch our legs, but also gave us a mental break from staring at our screens. We found ourselves returning to our afternoon clinics refreshed and ready to go.

A couple of weeks later, discussing health and fitness with a patient, I found myself recommending the local parks for a quick morning stroll. With a greater awareness of our local resources, I was able to confidently advise using nature as a way of becoming physically active. Taking a moment, I noted the significance of the situation; by taking the time to explore, and thus improving my mental and physical wellbeing, I had inadvertently gained a tool to be able to offer the same to my patients.

Often working in a busy GP practice, we can get lost in the world of medicine. This can lead to us forgetting to take a break and a moment for ourselves. By introducing this new habit, my colleague and I noted improvements in our moods, mental welfare and not to forget fitness. This experience taught me the importance of taking a second to appreciate our surroundings – something I will carry forward when I move onto my next GP Practice.

You can find out more about how nature can help by reading our health and wellbeing guides: https://naturallybirmingham.org/health-and-wellbeing-guides/