Have you managed to listened to a dawn chorus yet this Spring?
Have you looked closely at a marsh marigold flower or a newly unfurling leaf?
When did you last stop, take a deep breath and just absorb all the sights, sounds and textures around you?
Connecting with nature is a phrase you will hear a lot when it comes to well-being and mental health, but it certainly isn’t a new concept. Plato said “In order for man to succeed in life, God provided him with two means, education and physical activity. Not separately, one for the soul and the other for the body, but for the two together. With these means, man can attain perfection.”
I have long been of the opinion that we simply have health. To separate mental health and physical health is impossible. Whether you see it in spiritual terms of nurturing the soul through awareness of one’s own body and its needs, and by extension, the world around you, or in scientific terms where we know what chemical reactions, hormone releases and toxins are reduced, accumulated or secreted by activity, stress, inertia or relaxation. It all amounts to the same thing. A healthy body supports a healthy mind and vice versa.
Simply being outdoors, at any time of the year, can be a wonderful tonic. In Japan, groups are taken out on forest bathing trips. Being under the protective canopy of green, the earthy smell, the bird song and the gentle rustle of leaves has been proven to reduce stress levels within a very short space of time.
For some, the sea is their soothing balm. The vast horizon, the sorrowful song of the curlew and the hypnotic rhythm of the waves enchants and calms.
There are times when we go out, especially on a familiar walk or route, and we transit through it on autopilot rather than engaging with where we are. It could be popping to the shop, taking the dog for a constitutional or walking to work or school. We plod along with our heads full of to-do lists and focussed on the destination and getting the job done rather than the enjoyment of the journey itself.
Or maybe you even went out for a hike and ploughed along to the trig point at full pelt, caught your breath and headed back down again. But did you stop to feel the texture of that clump of emerald green moss, so dark and lush that you just wanted to sink your hand into it? Or did you take your boots off and feel the damp turf beneath your feet? The grasses tickling between your toes.
Being present, or mindful, when we are outdoors can take practice. When we are so used to rushing from one activity to the next, making sure everything gets done, we can miss the little things, the seasonal moments and the profound connection that we can cultivate between ourselves and the wider world.
Mindfulness does not come easily to everyone but there are activities that you can do to get better at it. And it is the same with creativity. This is a word that people associate with artists, musicians, writers and crafts people but creativity is also problem solving. By nurturing your creative side you become more adaptable. Creativity might mean being a bit more flamboyant in your cooking, scheduling a particularly tricky staff rota or finding a new way to engage with clients.
This brings us back to Plato again. To have the most nurturing, health giving and engaging experience when we are outdoors, we need to be learning, being curious and being creative as well as enjoying the benefits of physical activity.
Journaling and nature writing would seem to tick all the boxes. Journaling is a wonderfully personal way to be mindful. It is your opportunity to unlock new ways of sensing your surroundings and finding words that you didn’t know you had to express them. These notes can be perfect as they are or they may transform into a poem or a nature blog. They may evoke memories, or they may inspire you to spend your time differently, maybe volunteering or making your garden more wildlife friendly. They are your words and they are your medicine.
This Earth Day , April 22nd, we are running the second of our Nature Writing for Well-Being workshops. To be open and receptive to what you observe, and the words that can come from that, we begin with breath work and mindful movement. These tools help to slow down a busy mind and a fuzzy nervous system so you feel ready to explore the shore with all your senses before coming back inside to enjoy some guided writing sessions using the notes and objects you gather.
After our last workshop, Carole said, “Loved today's workshop, totally out of my comfort zone for sure but your wonderful clear teaching and the sharing by the small group enabled me to find words I didn't know I had. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am hoping I can add more to my journal soon, even if just from being in my garden. Thank you xx”
Making journaling a habit means you have made slowing down and observing a habit, and in turn that shows you have been present and more mindful.
Plato would be proud of you.
To book on our Earth Day themed Nature Writing for Well-being Workshop, click on the link.