Guest blog by Minsmere visitor experience volunteer, Eve
Goodbye to 2022!
As we begin a new year, our thoughts will sometimes turn toward the things we want to improve about ourselves. The idea of a fresh start can be very appealing but can often become a long list of impossible resolutions and the inevitable failure when real life and a lack of motivation in the winter months get in the way of the planned gym visits or new diet.
Many people will have found 2022 to be tough. I had a strange year myself, with more hospital visits than I would have liked. Being forced to pause during this time gave me space to reflect on the processes of healing and renewal. You could argue that life is always a continual process of dealing with adversity, recovering, and growing. We tend to hear a lot about post-traumatic stress, so we view difficult life events through that lens. However, another very important psychological effect of challenges is post-traumatic growth, where we are made stronger, more compassionate, and more grateful through experiencing hard times. Instead of being broken by the event, it can create a crack in our lives where more light gets in. Nature teaches us this important lesson in resilience, where the scorched earth of the heatwave heather fire was eventually replaced by hopeful green shoots. In my garden, the tree that shed all its leaves in a false autumn at the height of the summer heat is now covered in new buds with the promise of returning stronger than ever.
Linked to Nature
The healing power of nature is now an important and exciting area of psychological research, with evidence showing that patients can recover more successfully if an effort is made for them to be outside experiencing plants and wildlife. On days when we feel overwhelmed by difficulties, simply looking out of a window or hearing a bird singing can have the restorative effect of grounding us.
Instead of a self-punitive list of how we can ‘improve ourselves’ in the new year, we could reflect on potential opportunities to deepen our connection with nature. Starting small, could we plan five minutes outside on a working day and listen for birdsong? Could we pay attention to a particular tree and notice how it changes each week? Would we be able to plan a walk each weekend, even if it’s very short and local? Not something to add to our ‘things to do list’, but a chance to give ourselves more of what we love and need.
For those of us who love Minsmere, visiting gives us a deep dose of ‘nature as therapy’, due to the amazing variety of habitats. As someone with a severe visual impairment, I also appreciate the diversity of the sensory experiences Minsmere offers. In winter, in the wooded areas, you can enjoy the mushroom smell of fallen leaves and splash through puddled paths. If you turn towards the coast, you can feel the air change, you might need to brace yourself, but even on days where I’ve felt I was in danger of being blown backward, there’s still so much joy to be had crunching over the shingle to defiantly stare out to sea. Sinking into the soft sand path, you can run your fingers over the World War Two tank traps with their amazing pebbly solidity and then down to the gate to listen to the eerie sound of the water echoing in the sluice. At the end of your walk, you can sit in the Island Mere hide in the golden hour, with the setting sun sparkling off the water. All these joys are here for us every time before you even see an animal or a bird!
Nature’s needs
When we make more space in our lives to connect with nature, nature benefits too. It’s only by more of us paying close attention that we witness when wildlife is recovering or disappearing. We can’t leave that to the brilliant people working for charities like the RSPB, we all need to be involved. Let us remember the glow and rejuvenation we feel after we’ve been in nature in the winter months, despite the difficulties of trying to put on and take off our wellies without falling over!
I wish you all a very peaceful and happy new year,
Eve