21 September 2026
Nature For Health co-initiator of national campaign ‘Step out of your head, into nature’
More than four in ten people in the Netherlands experience anxious or depressive feelings. At the same time, many people are unaware that contact with nature can help reduce stress. That is why Groene GGZ, a partnership of 27 mental healthcare institutions and nature and health organisations including Nature For Health, is launching a national awareness campaign. Nature For Health is one of the co-initiators of Groene GGZ. Under the motto ‘Step out of your head, into nature’, activities will take place throughout the country on 9 and 10 October, including at mental healthcare institutions.
During these activities, people can experience the role nature can play in their mental health. Visitors can, for example, take part in a forest bathing session free of charge or attend a lecture by lived-experience expert Marlies aan de Stegge, who will share how nature helped her during her recovery from depression. On groeneggz.nl, practical tips and free downloadable activities are also available to help people experience more nature in their daily routine in as little as ten minutes.
Nature as an ally for mental health
For Nature For Health, the campaign directly aligns with its own mission: building a healthy relationship between people and nature, in which each strengthens the other. One of the key themes the foundation has been committed to for years is nature for health - and health for nature. As a co-initiator, Nature For Health has helped shape Groene GGZ from the very beginning: by contributing knowledge and its network, connecting organisations and helping to build initiatives that make nature more accessible as a source of mental wellbeing.
A short moment can already make a difference
Many people think they need to spend hours in a forest or nature area to truly relax. But research shows that just ten minutes in green surroundings can already make a difference. With this campaign, we help people incorporate these small moments in nature into their day.
Associate Professor Jolanda Maas (VU): “Hundreds of studies show that regular contact with a green environment is associated with less stress, greater relaxation and better mental health. This is partly because nature contains patterns that our brains can process easily. As a result, our brain gets the opportunity to recover.”
Preventing problems from getting worse
Mental healthcare in the Netherlands has been struggling with waiting lists for years. According to Groene GGZ, the challenge therefore does not only lie within healthcare itself, but also within society as a whole: preventing people from becoming overwhelmed. This is exactly what Nature For Health aims to contribute to through its work – by making nature easily accessible and available close to home, before problems arise or worsen.
Prevention is important; nature, even if it is only the small park around the corner, can be an accessible way to pause and reflect on your mental wellbeing and take care of yourself. In this way, you strengthen your health before problems worsen.
The ‘Step out of your head, into nature’ campaign runs from 21 September through 10 October, Mental Health Day.