“I Would Rather Lose Everything Else I Possess”: Love of Nature and L.M. Montgomery’s Intuitive Wellness Strategies, 1901-11

Abstract

L.M. Montgomery’s use of “rambles” to de-escalate depressive episodes and restore her mental wellness is well documented in the entries she made in her PEI journals while living in Cavendish and Halifax from 1901 to 1911. Modern-day research on forest bathing and seasonal affective disorder provides scientific explanations for why the time Montgomery spent in nature may have boosted her mental health during a pivotal period in her career, particularly during the winter of 1905 to 1906, when she was composing Anne of Green Gables.