10 Wellness Experiences to Recharge This Mental Health Awareness Week

In a world filled with worrying headlines, cost of living pressures, and the constant noise of everyday life, prioritising our mental health has never felt more important. It's all too easy to feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and as though we’re pouring from an empty cup—just getting through the day rather than truly living it.

This Mental Health Awareness Week, we’ve put together a collection of some of the most unique (and wonderfully unhinged) wellness experiences to help you pause, reset, and refill your cup with joy, calm, and connection.

Whether it’s smashing plates, cuddling puppies, or wandering through peaceful woodland, these experiences are here to remind you that it’s OK to stop, breathe, and take care of yourself. You’ll walk away feeling refreshed, rebalanced, and just a little more ready to face the world again.

Rage Room Experience

• Location: Weston-Super-Mare
• Minimum Age: 12
• Mental Health Benefit: Releases built-up tension and stress through physical exertion; can help reduce feelings of frustration and anxiety.
• Duration: 30 Minutes
• Price: £88.50 for 3 people

Release all those bottled-up emotions in a fun and controlled environment. This is your chance to smash plates, electronics, and anything else in sight—no judgement, no clean-up, just pure, cathartic chaos. It’s messy, loud, and surprisingly uplifting, helping to shake off stress and lift your mood in a way that talking sometimes just can’t.

And because some things are just better with mates, this experience is made for groups of 3–5 people—so you can laugh, let loose, and totally lose it together. Whether you’ve had one of those weeks, gone through a breakup, or just fancy doing something gloriously unhinged for once, this shared chaos brings a sense of relief, release, and a whole lot of fun. 

Pooch Therapy

• Location: Available in Birmingham, Leeds, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield
• Minimum Age: 8+ with adult supervision.
• Mental Health Benefit: Boosts oxytocin levels, reduces cortisol (stress hormone), and supports emotional regulation.
• Duration: 1 Hour
• Price: £26pp

Wet noses, wagging tails and puppy dog eyes, all waiting for you, with plenty of cuddles and kisses to melt the stress away. With a mixture of breeds from 12 weeks old, this pooch therapy is a welcome retreat from everyday life and a chance to slow down, lift your mood, and enjoy the intoxicating energy of these furry friends.

Spending time with dogs has been shown to reduce stress levels, ease anxiety, and boost serotonin—the feel-good chemical in the brain. Just a few moments in their calming company can bring a genuine sense of comfort, connection, and emotional balance. It’s the kind of feel-good therapy you didn’t know you needed—until now.

Horse Meditation

• Location: London and The Lake District
• Minimum Age: 5+ (under 16s must be accompanied by a paying adult)
• Mental Health Benefit: Encourages mindfulness, emotional awareness, and deep connection through non-verbal communication with horses.
• Duration: 2 Hours
• Price: £80pp

Meditation, but make it wild.
We’ve all heard of meditation, but doing it alongside horses takes things to a whole new level. Set in the peaceful landscapes of the Lake District and South Downs, you’ll practise guided breathing and mindfulness on the ground with these gentle, intuitive animals.

Horses mirror our emotions, helping us become more present and self-aware. It’s a calming, connection-based experience shown to reduce stress and support mental clarity.

Forest Bathing

• Location: Brighton
• Minimum Age: 18+
• Mental Health Benefit: Reduces blood pressure, lowers cortisol levels, improves sleep, and enhances mood.
• Duration: 4-5 hours
• Price: £35pp

Known traditionally as ‘Shinrin-yoku’, this gentle Japanese practice offers more than just relaxation – it encourages you to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with a sense of calm and clarity. 

For anyone feeling stressed or overwhelmed, this is the perfect opportunity to open the windows to a busy mind and welcome the beauty of nature. 

Forest bathing involves a slow, mindful walk through woodland, engaging all your senses to fully connect with the natural world. It’s not about exercise or distance, but simply being present among the trees, noticing the rustle of leaves, the scent of the earth, and the rhythm of your own breath, while clearing your mind and inviting in some much-needed inner peace.

Foraging Experience

• Location: South Downs
• Minimum Age: 16+
• Mental Health Benefit: Connects people with nature, promotes mindfulness, and offers a sense of purpose and learning.
• Duration: 4 Hours
• Price: £190 for 2 people

If the outdoors is where you feel most at home, then a foraging experience is the perfect way to expand your knowledge of wild ingredients and immerse yourself in nature's wild beauty. 

In this 4-hour session, you’ll learn to identify wild herbs, mushrooms, and edible plants with an expert guide, before enjoying a foraged afternoon tea, alfresco style!
The mindful nature of foraging helps you slow down and reconnect with the natural world, reducing stress, boosting mood, and promoting calm and connection. - It’s the perfect antidote to modern life.

Wild Water Swimming

• Location: Northumberland
• Minimum Age: 12 years old
• Mental Health Benefit: Reduces symptoms of mental health conditions due the body releasing a surge of endorphins, adrenaline, and dopamine, which support your ability to adapt to the cold water.
• Duration: 3-4 hours
• Price: From £55

Wild water swimming is a chance to unplug, recharge and reconnect—with nature and yourself. Whether you’re swimming through a lakes, floating beneath a waterfall, or embracing the waves of the sea, the experience encourages presence and perspective. 

You’ll be supported throughout, with the option of a private session or a small group setting, making it accessible and welcoming for everyone, regardless of fitness or confidence levels.

In between each session, you’ll be walking through stunning landscapes to get to another plunge area. Surrounded by rugged beauty and fresh air, you’ll experience a real sense of escape—something that can be hugely beneficial for mental wellbeing. 

Pottery Painting

• Location: London
• Minimum Age: 12 years old
• Mental Health Benefit: Reduces stress and anxiety by enhancing mood and emotional expression, plus it boosts self-esteem and confidence
• Duration: 90 minutes
• Price: From £23

Trying something new is always a great way to boost your mental health and this pottery painting experience is no exception. Choosing from a selection of mugs, bowls, plates and other ceramic items, you use a rainbow of colours to experiment with to create pieces that you will treasure forever.

Such a great way to be sociable with new and old friends, family members or complete strangers, the mental health benefits to pottery painting are vast as you can learn a new skill or perfect an old one, all whilst making your brain work on positive vibes!

Donkey Grooming

• Location: Swadlincote
• Minimum Age: 10 years old
• Mental Health Benefit: Touching, grooming and cuddling donkeys allows people to relax and feel a sense of nurturing and connection
• Duration: 45 minutes
• Price: From £28

Donkey Grooming is a calm and rewarding day out for everyone as it’s set on a peaceful countryside farm. It’s a lovely way to connect with rescue donkeys in a safe, happy environment.

After a short welcome and safety briefing, you’ll be paired with a donkey for a relaxing grooming session. With expert guidance, you’ll learn how to brush, comb, and care for your new four-legged friend.

In warmer months, donkeys may enjoy a sponge bath and gentle hose-down. During colder months, it’s all about cosy brushing and hoof care to keep them comfortable and pampered.

It’s a great outdoor experience that lets you bond with animals and support their care. A feel-good treat for animal lovers or a thoughtful gift with a purpose.

Wildlife Boat Trips

• Location: Haverfordwest
• Minimum Age: 6 years old
• Mental Health Benefit: Spending time outdoors with wildlife helps lower levels of anxiety, stress and depression in both adults and children.
• Duration: 2 hours
• Price: £60

A 2 hour boat trip around Skomer Island allows you to discover one of the UK’s most breathtaking wildlife spots. Departing from St. Justinians, you’ll sail across St Brides Bay with stunning coastal views along the way.

From April to August, Skomer becomes a haven for seabirds, with around 42,000 puffins and 300,000 pairs of Manx shearwater nesting on its cliffs. It’s a seasonal spectacle that’s hard to beat.

As you cruise around the island, look out for other wildlife too—harbour porpoises and pods of dolphins often make an appearance, adding extra magic to the experience.

This trip is perfect for nature lovers looking for a peaceful yet exciting way to reconnect with the wild. 

RHS Gardens

• Location: UK locations
• Minimum Age: 5 years old
• Mental Health Benefit: Being in glorious gardens is not only beautiful visually, but it’s also great for the mind. Surrounding yourself with nature improves mood, reduces stress and helps you feel relaxed, studies have shown.
• Duration: All day
• Price: From £32

Spending time in an RHS Garden is a simple yet powerful way to support your mental health. Surrounded by nature’s calm, these beautiful spaces offer a peaceful retreat from everyday stresses.

Whether you’re walking through wildflower meadows or pausing by a still lake, the sights, sounds, and scents of the gardens help to ease anxiety and lift your mood naturally.

Exploring these gardens at your own pace encourages mindfulness, connection with the seasons, and a gentle sense of escape—ideal for anyone looking to restore balance and wellbeing.