All posts tagged: surroundings

The ‘hidden treasure’ tearoom in Nottinghamshire village with impressive food and charming surroundings

The ‘hidden treasure’ tearoom in Nottinghamshire village with impressive food and charming surroundings

Published by Sam Flores

Sinking into a comfortable armchair, I feel like I’m sitting in someone’s lounge — but this is a tea shop tucked away in a Nottinghamshire village. Surrounded by houses, it would be easy to bypass Morton’s Farm Tearooms if you didn’t know it was there. From the front, the Victorian stone-built property with a wood-panelled door blends seamlessly into the rest of the properties in Main Road, Papplewick, except for a sign for the tearooms and car park around the back. Arrivals at the former farmhouse are asked to ring the bell and enter. We obey and we’re greeted by a cabinet of luscious-looking homemade cakes under domes in the flagstone-floored hallway. Seconds later we’re met by a member of staff. The back garden of Morton’s Farm Tearooms We’d stopped on the hoof without a booking so we were lucky to get a table inside. They needed it back for a reservation 45 minutes later but we only wanted a quick bite to eat so it wasn’t a problem. We’re taken through to a room …

People who feel a spiritual connection to their surroundings tend to report better mental health

People who feel a spiritual connection to their surroundings tend to report better mental health

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in the Archive for the Psychology of Religion suggests that feeling a deep, spiritual connection to a specific physical location can act as a protective shield for a person’s mental health. This bond with a meaningful physical space tends to reduce the psychological harm caused by feelings of insignificance or questioning whether one’s life matters. The research provides evidence that our physical environments can serve as vital resources for maintaining emotional stability during highly stressful times. The goal of the research was to examine how people manage intense emotional distress after losing access to their normal daily structures. Widespread isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic forced many individuals to confront deep feelings of insignificance. In psychology, the belief that a person is important to others and makes a difference is known as mattering. When people experience mattering struggles, they feel invisible to those around them, which tends to increase loneliness and anxiety. At the same time, the pandemic fundamentally changed how people interacted with their physical environments. As communal spaces closed, people …