When was the last time you were really spent time in nature? I don’t mean you went for a walk through the park or along the river, I mean when was the last time you were really paying attention to nature as you pass it by.
When did you last just sit in amongst the trees and listen to the wind rustling in the leaves, creatures scurrying in the undergrowth, birds, in their many languages, calling out to one another?
When did you last notice the fungi growing aside the fallen branch, the birds’ nest now home to mice, the twisted branches of an old oak that look as if they are dancing their way to the sky?
When did you last inhale the smell of the earth, or the freshness of the air cleansed by the trees?
When did you last feel the crunch of twigs beneath your feet, the rough ripples of the bark on an oak tree as you throw your arms around it or the pull of the brambles at your jeans almost begging you to stay a while longer.
Taking the time to sit and be in a space where nature can draw you in may seem like a daft thing to do but having had the fortune of doing just that all this weekend, it has done the best job of nourishing mind, body and soul and taking me away from all the stresses and strains of my city life.
Most of us may recognise that we feel better for going for a walk or sitting in the park, but we don’t always realise the key element of that are the connections we each have with nature, and how important it is to us both physically and mentally. When you do make the time, you can feel your physicality change, your breathing calm, your mind untangling. So why then do we not make nature a priority in our lives for both our and natures sake?
With ever-increasing pressure to do, be, have, our mental and physical health increasingly suffers. Over time society that has taught us to want more, better, faster, shinier, we have lost touch with our most basic needs and have forgotten what it is that really keeps us going. However, now more and more people are starting to search for something different, wanting to let go of all the material ‘stuff’, the weight of expectation and constant pressure and are looking to return to something more simple, natural.
We can’t all just drop city life and buy a farm in the country; we can however create smaller pockets of natural calm in our every day.
So next time you cross paths with nature, whether it be a beautiful woodland, a coastal path, a city park, walk along the river banks or even in your own garden, put your phone away and just sit for ten minutes, take a deep breath, and simply look and listen to what is around you. What do you notice?
Look around at what nature does for us, and then ask yourself what you can do to help nature in return.