If you go down to the (Hundred Acre) woods today

National Winnie the Pooh day, a day to celebrate A.A Milne’s famous literary creation Winnie the Pooh – not forgetting Christopher Robin and his other friends of course.

“Silly old bear”
I grew up with Winnie the Pooh. From reading the books to watching the films and playing Poohsticks, I still hold a soft spot for him and his pals. I’ve even had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times. Despite this ongoing endearment for the silly old bear, I confess to not knowing there was a day dedicated to my favourite bear until recently.

While I’ll still celebrate his legacy, I’ve long wondered if there’s actually a deeper meaning to these seemingly innocent characters.

“Oh, bother”
Pathology in the hundred acre wood: a neurodevelopmental perspective on A.A. Milne is a study carried out by Dr. Sarah E. Shea, where she looks further into this theory. Although tongue in cheek, the report highlights some interesting points about each character which many would find relatable today.

“Somewhere at the top of the Hundred Acre Wood a little boy and his bear play. On the surface it is an innocent world, but on closer examination by our group of experts we find a forest where neurodevelopmental and psychosocial problems go unrecognized and untreated” – the study rather darkly reports. Is it troubling to think these characters are (predominantly) aimed at children, or enlightening these issues were highlighted so openly in 1926?

Do these characters in fact help raise the very real need for support and awareness of our own mental wellbeing, as well as those around us? Given they’re so deeply embedded in our culture in a positive way, perhaps they could they help end the stigma of mental health.

“Oh, d-d-dear”
What I feel is made apparent by Pooh and pals is that mental health issues are not obvious and even those you feel are least likely to be affected can be struggling.

According to the study, our main protagonist, Winnie, could easily be diagnosed with ADHD, OCD or binge eating. His sidekick, Piglet, severe anxiety, Eeyore, chronic depression and Tigger, ADHD.

“Thanks for noticin’ me”
With an ongoing pandemic, mental health issues have been on the rise and it’s great to escape to somewhere like the Hundred Acre wood every now and again. What we need to be wary of is whether someone is getting a bit lost while they’re there.

We can learn many lessons from Winnie and the gang, but I feel one of the most important is that sometimes just being there is enough.

So next time you’re celebrating the legacy of Winnie the Pooh, take some time to check in with yourself, a friend or a family member. Although everything might appear sunny in the Hundred Acre Wood, we all have dark days and mental health issues can easily be missed if we don’t pay close enough attention.

“TTFN! Ta-ta for now!”
Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.
“Pooh!” he whispered.
“Yes, Piglet?”
“Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw. “I just wanted to be sure of you.”

A.A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner