By Megan Thomas
In 2016, Isabel Hardman had a breakdown, was diagnosed as PTSD, and has suffered with mental illness ever since. This book is her experience of how nature and exercise have helped her alongside medication, and a plea for everyone – but particularly the healthcare system – to acknowledge the importance of incorporating a natural health service into the healthcare system.
Through wild swimming, running, orchid hunting, bird watching and much more, Isabel was able to tap into the positive energy of the “great outdoors” to a point where she has returned to her job as a political journalist at The Spectator.
She quotes fascinating research, provides extensive personal anecdotes, delves into the schooling system’s approach to playtime, acknowledges the placebo effect and makes compelling arguments throughout for the power of natural healthcare for mental illnesses, making it both an informative and inspiring read.
I had the great pleasure of interviewing Isabel at this year’s Petworth Literary Festival, which you can watch until November 28, 2021, here.
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