We are also very lucky to have a huge variety of wellness businesses who are all very passionate about improving the health of the people of Norfolk.

Wellbeing practitioner Sarah Groves founded Feel Good Norfolk (FGN) with the purpose of bringing these wellness businesses together to create a strong and connected community. This month, as we start a brand new year, four of the FGN members share their love for their corner of the county and what winter wellness means to them.

Getting out into Norfolk's beautiful countryside in winter can benefit body and mind. (Image: Getty Images)

It is the best kind of January day. The sky is blue, a gentle dusting of frost on the ground and the barest whisper of breeze, writes Amy Shawcross of Amy Shawcross Healing With Nature. I take my first steps through the woods of Wheatfen Nature Reserve, pausing briefly to greet the majestic beech tree, and I feel my tense shoulders start to relax. My racing mind slows and I release the breath I hadn’t realised I was holding.

I am not alone in experiencing these gifts. Numerous scientific studies show that being in nature lowers blood pressure and stress hormones. It can improve sleep, boost the immune system and reduce anxiety.

As each new year dawns, we can feel pressure to leap into new projects, fresh starts. However, looking around the woods, I see nature still at rest. The trees are not yet rushing into a new season of growth.

A couple of years ago I was experiencing poor health and burnout. I had a vision of where I wanted to be, but it felt impossibly out of reach. I began searching for small, manageable steps that would lead me gently towards my vision of wellbeing.

Emilie Garrould, right, and two of her fellow swimmers. (Image: Charlotte Gray/contributed by Feel Good Norfolk) I started by walking in nature every day. These walks took me to the hills of High Ash Farm and through the bluebells and wild garlic of Ashwellthorpe’s ancient Lower Wood. Gradually, I became more aware of my surroundings. I grew intrigued by what I noticed and how connected I felt as the trees and plants helped to ease my burdens. I started carrying a notebook and, when I found my attention drawn to a particular tree or leaf, I wrote a few words about what I saw and felt. I discovered those notes were offering me examples from nature to follow and inviting me to ask questions of myself.

So now, instead of unrealistic and unsustainable resolutions, I look with gratitude to the trees of south Norfolk for guidance. By gifting myself time in nature, I am improving my physical and mental wellbeing and also receiving wisdom from the natural world as I ease into the new year.

feelgoodnorfolk.co.uk/listing/amy-shawcross-healing-with-nature

Lee Tayler's favourite place in the Broads is Salhouse Broad. (Image: Getty Images)

The one place that helps me........

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