Breath of the wild: How time in nature can help our physical and mental health

In a new movie, Saoirse Ronan plays a young woman who returns to her remote island home, where she reconnects with its untamed beauty and slowly rebuilds her mental health. Spending time in nature is one of the oldest therapies known to humankind, and it’s essentially free. So why is it not promoted more by medical practitioners?

Dr Sean Owens encourages his patients to sit under an elm tree by his surgery.

IN THE just-released film The Outrun, Saoirse Ronan plays Amy Liptrot, a 30-year-old writer who returns to her remote island home.