TREE GLEE
How and Why Trees Make Us Feel Better
Trees and humans essentially want the same thing – to live, good, happy, purposeful lives and to flourish. We are inextricably bound. Trees provide us with the necessities of life – they clean the air we breathe, fill us with awe as we walk through forests and provide timber for the houses we live in, yet there are deeper reasons for our arboreal admiration that go beyond utility and beauty.
Tree Glee looks at the psychology behind our fascination with trees, examining exactly how they comfort, restore and revitalise us and what we can learn from the wisdom of woodlands to improve our own wellbeing. It explores the importance of trees in our leafy suburbs and urban landscapes, sharing magical stories of remarkable ancient trees across the globe and inviting readers to reflect on their own personal 'treestory'.
This book is part ode and love letter to trees, part practical wellbeing guide and nature-connection manual and part call to action; a book about how trees positively impact our mental and physical health, kindly endorsed by Dr Jane Goodall, Dame Joanna Lumley and Alan Titchmarsh MBE.
Featuring captivating photos and with chapters on forest bathing and nature therapy, woodland wellbeing and tree mythology, conservation initiatives and creative activities, Tree Glee explores how by deepening our appreciation and connection to trees and by celebrating and protecting them, we can flourish together.
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Cheryl Rickman
Hi there, I'm Cheryl Rickman, Author/Ghostwriter, Positive Psychology practitioner, and proud tree-hugger.
Being around and among trees inspires me creatively, lifts me mentally and soothes me emotionally. And I’m not alone in my arboreal admiration. People LOVE trees! Hardly surprising, given we were forest-dwellers and hunter-gatherers long before life became more urban. Feeling connected to the natural world is deeply rooted within our genetic make-up.
Trees and wellbeing are intrinsically linked and I've loved researching to uncover the healing power of trees in providing both prevention and cure to boost mental recovery and wellness and restore attention and concentration.
In Tree Glee, I've written about what trees have meant to me throughout my life from childhood tree-climber and grieving teen, to wellbeing practitioner and woodlander. I wrote about how we can grow the six branches of wellbeing and what we can learn from trees, how we can better connect with them and how we can reciprocate to give back to them.
I dug deeper into the tree myths and legends of our cultural histories, uncovered ancestral beliefs about trees as protectors and discovered some remarkable tree tales. But some of these stories wouldn't fit into the book (I'd already gone over my allotted word count, sorry ed)... so I decided to include those surplus stories that didn't make the final edit here in this little corner of the web.
You can find out more about me and the work I do in the world, and view my other books here.
Memorial Tree Planting for Her Majesty The Queen
THE QUEEN’S GREEN CANOPY is an initiative I mention in the Tree Glee book as a way to reciprocate and give something back to the trees that give us so much. Now, with the following announcement by The Queen's Green Canopy, we can also give back to Her Majesty The Queen as a way to honour her, give thanks and remember her strength, resilience and majesty.
"Following the death of Her Majesty The Queen, and the wishes of our Patron, His Majesty The King, The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) initiative will be extended to the end of March 2023 to give people the opportunity to plant trees in memoriam to honour Her Majesty.
As a nationwide initiative created to mark the Platinum Jubilee, The Queen’s Green Canopy was due to conclude in December - the end of the Jubilee year. However, as the official tree planting season in the United Kingdom is from October to March, the initiative will now be extended to include this full tree planting season, beginning in October 2022 and concluding in March 2023.
The Queen's Green Canopy is proud to be creating a living legacy with over a million trees planted in Her Majesty’s name across the nation during the first planting season, October 2021 to March 2022. The extension of the QGC initiative will build on this legacy and serve as a lasting tribute to Her Majesty’s extraordinary service to her country and her people.
Alongside the inspiring floral tributes being left outside Royal Palaces, people can also gift a tree in memoriam in honour of Her Majesty, with trees to be planted in schools and deprived urban areas across the United Kingdom. For more information on how to get involved please visit www.queensgreencanopy.org '
Get Involved
In the Tree Glee book I also share my own personal 'treestory' and invite you to consider yours. Trees provide a kind of comforting arboreal “soundtrack” to our lives, always there during times of great delight and times of dire need.
They were there at the very beginning of our human story and are co-stars in our individual life stories too.
I'd love to hear your personal treestory - the trees that have been co-stars in your life story, what they meant to you, what memories you have of them and how they made you feel.
Please do get in touch or share your 'treestory' on your social media using the hashtags #treestory #treegleebook and tag @treeglee
I also created a #100DaysofTrees challenge on Instagram a kind of “tree-diary” while I was writing the book.
As a result of this immersive practice, I felt even more attuned to trees’ beauty and to my own thoughts, beliefs and responses – a greater sense of nature connectedness, self-connectedness and wellbeing.
I began another #100DaysofTrees challenge on September 1st 2022 - feel free to join in anytime using the hashtags #100DaysofTrees and #TreeGleeBook and tagging @treeglee
LET’S HANG OUT!
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