This month's health challenge is to consciously practice gratitude. It’s not always easy, but ultimately choosing to focus on gratitude, rather than self-pity, is so important for mental and physical health. People who have a generally more grateful disposition report higher levels of physical health, and taking note of what you are grateful for on a regular basis improves sense of well-being and mood.

Originally, my planned health challenge for May for you was to encourage a month long social media break. However, our world has changed in ways that many of us were not expecting, and cutting out a digital form of human interaction may feel more harmful than helpful for some people. So, instead, I am going to encourage a modification: re-focusing on how you are engaging with social media. And if the best way for you to do that, is by taking a short break, perhaps that’s what you decide to do.

There are so many ways in which connecting with nature is good for our health. Hiking in the forest, playing in a creek, walking in the countryside and swimming in the ocean at sunset are all interactions with nature that support our wellbeing, re-connect use with our wild selves and make us feel more alive. Spending time in nature is relaxing and grounding, lowers the stress response and elevates mood, all of which supports the immune system. Additionally, there are a number of ways in which being in nature directly impacts our immune systems.