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Modern-day 'hippies' find healing in unique alternative lifestyle: 'Come broken down and ... brought back to life'

"Every day I wake up … and think how incredibly lucky I am."

"Every day I wake up ... and think how incredibly lucky I am."

Photo Credit: iStock

Some things are better left in the 1960s, such as smoking on airplanes or bell bottoms, but modern-day "hippies" are proving that a more sustainable existence is within reach.

The Guardian profiled a few examples of British communities that embrace a woodland off-grid lifestyle, from Tinkers Bubble in Somerset, England, to Brithdir Mawr in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

While hippies might be an easy term to describe people who embrace an alternative way of life away from the trappings of the city, it's also kind of reductive. These sustainability champions are growing and harvesting their own food, raising livestock, generating their own power, and existing in an environmentally harmonious way.

At Tinkers Bubble, for example, residents live on a 40-acre plot of land, including an 8-hectare evergreen forest. They work the land and make money from the food they produce, and they take part in forest restoration work, removing the North American conifers that were planted decades before.

At Brithdir Mawr, set in 32 acres of ancient woodland, residents still have jobs outside of the community, but they contribute to the various activities that make the site tick. 

Both of these communities also welcome volunteers in addition to the residents, with many simply taking a break from the urban environment. 

Meg Willoughby, a 28-year-old who lives at Tinkers Bubble, noted that some people need a little natural rejuvenation when they arrive.

"They come broken down and, like me, are brought back to life by nature," she told the Guardian.

Spending time outdoors and in green spaces has been proved to improve mental health. In fact, "forest bathing," or immersing yourself in nature, is a practice that boosts your immune system, reduces stress, and can even increase anticancer proteins. 

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Meanwhile, a mental health professional near Liverpool, England, has created a community garden to provide a space for natural therapy. 

Growing your own food and raising your own livestock not only provides a little burst of serotonin, but it also ensures that the food you eat is free from pesticides or other harmful chemicals and cuts down on grocery bills. The short distance that produce travels from field to plate also cuts out the need to transport it using dirty fuel-powered trucks, making it even kinder to the planet.

It's not a lifestyle for everyone and does often require a lot of hard work, but the benefits to both personal and environmental health are substantial.

"Every day I wake up to birdsong and walk through the woods to milk Daisy — and think how incredibly lucky I am," Willoughby added.

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