I believe that there are two types of people: those that are connected with nature, and those that, likely through no fault of their own, have yet to make that connection. It is often highlighted that people who spend time outdoors experience better mental health, and indeed a paper published in 2019 suggested that for those exposed to the lowest levels of green space during childhood, the risk of developing mental illness was 55% higher than for those who grew up with abundant green space (Engemann et al, 2019). But, being surrounded by green is just the start — The Mental Health Foundation highlight that our relationship with nature — how much we notice, think about and appreciate our natural surroundings — is a critical factor in supporting good mental health and preventing distress.
With all the talk of global warming (and it is certainly hot as I write this editorial) and the decline in pollinators, spending time outside can make you wonder what you can do to improve the natural world. I am lucky to have a garden, and I have tried to plant bee and butterfly friendly plants, and embrace the weeds and the nettles (catterpillar food) — and last year, in an attempt to help, I sowed a small patch of wild flowers. Wonderful I thought!
This week, however, I read an article that made me think again. It starts ‘We would never tolerate the release of an exotic animal to our wider environment yet we appear happy to release packets of unregulated wildflowers’ (Smyth, 2022). It seems that sowing wildflower seeds is detrimental to local biodiversity. Wildflower seeds are often unregulated, meaning that they may contain non-local species, and it is recommended that any seeds sown should be local seeds only.
I was disappointed, because it's hard when you're trying to do the right thing, to discover you may in fact be doing exactly the opposite. It made me think about how difficult it must be in veterinary practice when a client comes in with views that you don't necessarily agree with, but which they have researched and made an ‘informed’ decision on. This is when communication skills are most important — you can't risk alienating a client so that they go elsewhere for their pet's veterinary care, it would be counter-productive. One such area could be the feeding of a vegan diet to pets. In this issue of The Veterinary Nurse, Nicola Lakeman discusses vegan diets for felines (pp252-254), which are now theoretically possible given that the vital nutrients can be manufactured from non-animal sources; however this does not mean the diets that are being produced are balanced, or take into consideration the natural behavioural needs of cats. It is worth thinking about how you would approach a client feeding a vegan diet, especially if you disagree with their choice (remembering the BVA statement that cats should not be fed a vegan diet). An article we published last month by Emma Stansfield from the Veterinary Defence Society said that ‘Listening is a superpower… instead of listening to respond, practise listening to understand — this will help clients feel more valued and involved with treatment decisions. Role-playing challenging scenarios has been shown to be useful as it increased confidence in tackling difficult conversations (Hunter and Shaw, 2016). Would finding time to role-play difficult conversations with the whole team work for your practice?
In my job I don't have many difficult conversations, but I still try to make sure I take regular breaks outside. I hope you manage to find time to unwind too.