BEING IN NATURE
“You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting – over and over announcing your place in the family of things.” ― Mary Oliver
For one to spend time in nature is an essential part of being human, we are nature after all, it allows us to connect with… Being in nature is quite accessible it does not have to entail being on a windswept peak at 14000 feet it can be a simple walk outside your door down the very street you reside by noticing the natural world that is present in your view. A simple walk in the park with the intention of being mindful, paying attention without judgement can free you of the current story playing out in your head. Being in nature has the capacity to regulate one’s nervous system. Mind you this may not be easy at first, so it is important as you incorporate this as a practice to be gentle with yourself and not judge the experience but allow yourself to witness what nature has to offer. It may be a large tree you pass, or a squirrel scurrying across a power line, the wind wafting through the trees or the sight and sound of a cardinal. Experiencing nature decreases stress it is found to improve health and wellbeing.
Many say trauma is a disconnection or separation, separation form self, others, community and nature. Connection to nature has the capacity to restore, rejuvenate and heal. As we experienced with Ida nature also has the power to destroy. We invite you to connect with nature. We understand sometimes nature is not a safe place that will activate or reactivate trauma and it is okay if one chooses to not participate in nature for self-preservation.
Nature makes you happier and less brooding, relieves attention fatigue and increases creativity, may help you to be kind and more generous and makes you feel more alive. How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More… (berkeley.edu)
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” ― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
“Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature’s laws wrong, it learned to walk without having feet. Funny, it seems to by keeping its dreams; it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else even cared.” — Tupac Shakur
