InclusiveEdResourcesFree ResourcesArticlesOur ApproachContactArticle – 7 minute readMaking Room for CalmHow nature can help us slow down, reconnect and find space to breathe.
There is something about nature that changes the pace of life.Not dramatically, and certainly not in the picture-perfect way social media sometimes suggests, where a walk through the woods somehow solves everything. Real life is rarely that tidy. There are still school runs, washing to do, unanswered emails, appointments to keep and days when simply getting through feels like enough. Yet spending time outdoors often gives us something that modern life rarely offers so freely: permission to slow down.Many of us spend our days moving from one task to the next without ever really arriving anywhere. We rush because life demands it. Children often experience that same pace. They may not have our responsibilities, but they absorb the rhythm of the world around them. School, homework, clubs, friendships and constant stimulation can leave very little room simply to pause and notice.Some of the calmest moments my daughter and I shared happened almost by accident. Long before I knew much about nervous system regulation or mindfulness, I used to encourage her to "take a picture in her head" whenever we found somewhere peaceful. We’d stop for a moment and really notice where we were: the light filtering through the trees, the sound of water moving over stones, the smell of rain on warm ground or the feeling of cold air on our faces. She would close her eyes for a few seconds and quietly save that moment in her mind. Before long, I realised I was doing exactly the same.Looking back, I don’t think those moments worked because they removed anxiety. They didn’t. What they offered was something gentler. They created space. Space to breathe, to notice and to remember that difficult thoughts didn’t have to occupy every corner of the day. Sometimes, finding calm isn’t about making worries disappear. It’s about allowing something else to exist alongside them.Nature doesn’t calm everyone in the same way, and perhaps that’s exactly as it should be. Some children find peace sitting beside a stream, while others would much rather climb a tree, photograph clouds or spend half an hour collecting interesting stones. My daughter once became fascinated with taking cuttings from an old cheese plant to see if they would grow in water. They did, rather enthusiastically, and for weeks she checked on them every day. She also went through a stage of carefully peeling sticks into spears in the garden whenever life felt frustrating. It probably looked rather unusual from the neighbour’s perspective, but it worked for her.Those moments taught me something I hadn’t fully appreciated at the time. Children often discover their own ways of finding calm if we give them enough time, freedom and encouragement to notice what genuinely helps. Our role isn’t always to provide the answer. Sometimes it is simply to create the opportunity for children to find their own.Nature doesn’t have to mean remote forests, mountain walks or expensive outdoor adventures. It might be watering herbs on a windowsill, watching birds from the kitchen table, collecting shells at the beach, growing sunflower seeds in old yoghurt pots or taking the same quiet walk after school each week. The activity itself matters less than the feeling it creates. Calm often grows from familiar places, gentle routines and moments where nobody is asking us to perform, achieve or hurry.Perhaps this is one reason researchers continue to explore the relationship between nature and emotional wellbeing. Time spent in natural environments has repeatedly been linked with reduced stress, improved attention and greater emotional regulation. Nature is not a cure for anxiety, overwhelm or emotional exhaustion, but it often offers something many of us need more of: quieter surroundings, gentler stimulation and the opportunity to reconnect with ourselves. In a world that constantly competes for our attention, those moments have become increasingly valuable.One thing I learned over the years is that recovery rarely announces itself with dramatic breakthroughs. More often, it arrives quietly. A child laughs more than they did last week. A walk becomes a little longer. Someone agrees to do something that felt impossible a month ago. There are more good hours in a day, then more good days in a week. Those moments are easy to overlook because they don’t feel extraordinary, but together they tell an important story. They remind us that progress is happening, even when it feels slow.When children are struggling, family life can naturally become centred around the struggle itself. Conversations revolve around anxiety, school, appointments, worries and what needs fixing. Those conversations matter, but so do the moments that have nothing to do with the difficulty. The shared joke that becomes part of family history, the unexpectedly beautiful sunset, the walk that turns into an adventure or the quiet satisfaction of watching something you’ve planted begin to grow. These experiences don’t ignore the struggle; they gently remind us that it isn’t the whole story.Perhaps that’s why making room for calm matters so much. It isn’t about escaping reality or pretending difficult emotions don’t exist. It’s about creating enough space for curiosity, connection, hope and simple enjoyment to exist alongside them. Sometimes the most valuable thing we can offer ourselves, or the children we care about, isn’t another strategy or another solution. Sometimes it’s simply permission to slow down.At InclusiveEd, nature appears throughout many of our resources because it reflects something we believe deeply. Growth rarely happens all at once. Like seasons changing or seeds gradually becoming plants, confidence, resilience and emotional wellbeing often develop quietly, almost unnoticed, until one day we look back and realise how far we’ve come.Perhaps that’s one of the greatest gifts we can offer children. Not simply helping them feel calmer today, but helping them discover ways of finding calm that they can carry with them throughout their lives. A favourite place beneath a tree, the sound of water flowing over stones, tending to a plant on a windowsill or simply taking a moment to notice the world around them can become lifelong reminders that there is always a way to pause, breathe and begin again.Finding calm doesn’t always begin with a life-changing decision.Sometimes it begins by standing still for a moment……and quietly taking a picture in your head.Continue Your JourneyIf this article has resonated with you, you may enjoy exploring our collection of resources designed to support emotional wellbeing, confidence and gentle reflection.Whether you’re looking for visual mind maps, Calm Code resources, printable worksheets or practical tools for children, teenagers and adults, our growing collection has been created to encourage understanding, build resilience and help people discover the approaches that work best for them.Explore InclusiveEd Resources
Making Room for CalmJennifer Darch2026-07-22T14:11:00+01:00