Isabel Hardman: 'One of my most exciting botanical finds was in a Glasgow car park'

The journalist and author on how nature can boost mental health treatment, even on lockdown Isabel Hardman is assistant editor of the Spectator and author of The Natural Health Service : What the Great Outdoors Can Do for Your Mind . She was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following events she chooses not to disclose, and has intermittent anxiety and depression. She lives between London and Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, and is expecting her first child. How did you first realise that being outdoors helped your mental health? “I’ve always enjoyed being outdoors – I grew up in the country, and I was nerdily into gardening as a child. When I got sick, my GP insisted that I got out of the house every day. When she found out I used to do a lot of riding, she said: “Well can you book yourself some riding lessons?” She’d be as interested in what I was doing outdoors as she was in how my medication was working. Continue reading...