W is for Wood: mindfulness in nature
How working with wood can help improve physical and mental wellbeing
How can working with wood help you be more mindful?
Splitting, sawing, sanding, sharpening – woodwork can be hard on the body, but it’s this very fact that makes it good for us. Such exertion helps improve strength, endurance, body control and hand dexterity.
Working with wood also exercises creative prowess and problem solving, which is proven to ease feelings of anxiety and depression.
On a more mindful level, the concentration required to craft even the simplest of features means that woodworkers spend much of their time in the present, focusing on the grain, shape and aroma of the wood in front of them.
You don’t need to be an expert to reap the rewards – carpentry and woodworking courses for beginners are available all over the country.
Authors
Danny is the outdoors editor of BBC Countryfile Magazine, responsible for commissioning, editing and writing articles that offer ideas and inspiration for exploring the UK countryside.
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