Nature Is Healing
My emotional turmoil has been quite the ride. Thinking and reflecting in loops and spirals. Getting stuck in my past. Trying to be present. Making sense of the future.
Spilling my thoughts into my journal, playing short SNL clips to distract myself, and digging my nose into books have all proved to be useful at times. But, what’s been most helpful is getting out into nature.
Currently I’m house-sitting for a couple who’s home is pretty large and remote. Their house sits on a huge plot of land, overlooking the mountains and the rest of the town of El Sobrante. The best perk: I can take just a few steps out the front door and immediately be surrounded by wildlife.
It’s my mission to not miss one day of stepping outside, sitting on the grass, getting a nice stretch in the sunlight. With such easy access there’s no reason not to. Plus it’s calming to hear the different hawks and tweets from birds, observe crowds of goats munch on the grass, and on rare occasion, see a turkey or deer pop out from behind the trees.
Sitting beside all of this life and all of this beauty is where I find grounding.
It reminds me that so much exists beyond myself: life that is so raw, real, plentiful, and yet unique. Behind every tree and flower bud is a history so long and rich that I can’t possibly understand every inch of it. But I can at least appreciate the complexity.
Sometimes I wonder if the reason I feel so calm outdoors is because for a long time our civilization lived in forests, jungles, and deserts. Not in the rows of pale painted houses or 70-story luxurious hotels. Generations of people walked on grass without shoes and felt the natural breeze every single day. Maybe that’s why some part of being in nature feels like home.
Although my emotional turmoil is more of a personal thing, we can all relate to being in our heads sometimes. Exhausted by the thoughts that weigh us down, unable to throw them into the trash chute.
As a challenge to you - take a solo nature trip. I don’t mean out on the streets and surrounded the hustle and bustle of a city. Try to find a location that is more remote, so you aren’t disrupted by chatter or cell phones buzzing.
Find yourself in an environment that is completely natural: dirt, grass, river...you get the point. Then, narrow in on the sounds of the birds and the bugs. Keep an open mind and you might also discover nature's healing powers as well.