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Welcome back to the musings of your local, nature loving, too busy, full of contradictions, sustainability seeking, mental health professional human! I hope that September has started out gently for you. Despite the month only just beginning, I am back to finding myself trying to crack the code of how to do less, better - because life has felt relentless. But something interesting about this month is that I have settled into my new living space. Business is humming along. My marriage feels grounded and connected. And yet, internally, I feel overwhelmed, burdened, like everything is too much all of the time. As if something on the inside needs to be recalibrated. A couple weeks ago, I attended a professional training that introduced the concept and application of ecotherapy. The training theorized that one of the greatest causes of human suffering is disconnection from the natural world. That the more society moves away from what is natural and towards what is artificial, there will continue to be a rise in depression, anxiety, loneliness, and many other mental and physical implications. I was reminded of the profound health benefits that come from spending more time in nature for me personally. The trainer explained that ecotherapy is more than aimlessly walking outside, but it is more so focused on deeply absorbing your environment and using the natural world as an input to inform your steps, guide your path, and help you make connections to yourself and the world around you. Throughout my training, I couldn’t help but wonder if taking time to immerse myself in activities other than exclusively attending to the tasks of the day is part of the missing puzzle piece to my quandary described earlier. This may seem obvious, but isn’t it so much easier said than done? Choosing to divert attention away from what is deemed productive can often feel like a counter-cultural choice. And yet, I have been wondering, what are we not noticing by being distracted through busyness, pursuing the next best thing, maintaining routine at all costs, and completing (or at least attempting to complete) our to-do lists? What might happen if we were to step away from those activities and slow down enough to notice the natural world around us? Now this doesn’t need to mean going on some extreme outdoor activity, but maybe it could mean powering off your computer and taking some deep breaths of fresh air outside. Or sitting in the grass at a local park. You don’t have to travel far to experience transformative beauty and peace. Nature is such a powerful regulating tool and connection to it has been proven to settle your nervous system, slow heart rate, decrease depression and anxiety, and connect you to something bigger than yourself. I have been known to fall into the trap that being in nature means going to some remote location or needing to travel to an exotic destination. While this is certainly a way of connecting with the natural world, there can also be so much beauty in your backyard. Quite literally, if you have a backyard, take some time to remove your shoes and walk through the grass. What do you notice as you do this? Can you slow down enough to observe and absorb the natural elements around you? The pictures above are from a recent exploration of a local destination called Monrovia Canyon Park. In the years I lived in Sierra Madre, I had not heard much about this park despite it being 10 minutes away. This park is full of hiking trails, a gorgeous waterfall, and a flowing stream throughout. The indescribable joy that resulted from finding this gem was nourishing to my soul in a way I could not have expected, especially after the local trails I was familiar with had been burned and washed out in January. There is nature-fueled power and life all around you. If you are noticing anything like I have been, that the pace of life is too fast and you are unsure where the brake pedal is, perhaps taking some time to regulate through nature and interacting with the “more than human” world could be the reprieve you didn’t know you needed. Below is an activity I learned about in my training. If you are interested in trying out what I have been describing, this is a great introduction! A grounding exercise called “Sit Spot”: Carve out 15-20 min in your schedule to take time to either go outside or look out through a window at a nature item (trees, flowers, a mountain range, shrubs, rocks, etc). Find a comfortable place to sit or stand where you are able to easily observe nature in any form. Start to slow your breathing through allowing your stomach to expand and release rather than taking shallow breaths in your chest. Notice what is engaging your senses. If your thoughts begin to wander, bring them back to the present and the natural world you are participating in. Welcome in sounds, even if they are not natural (leaf blowers, car horns, etc). Notice what you are seeing, even the most subtle and gentle movements. The lightest of breeze wafting through tree cover can feel like such a gift. As much as possible, allow yourself to stay still. The longer you are still in any given natural environment, the more chance there is for that environment to welcome you in to it. You may notice small critters making their way towards you. Stay present. After about 15-20 min, reflect on all that you noticed. What were the emotions that arose? What did you observe that you would not have if you were moving at all? Did it feel like the natural world was trying to communicate anything to you through what you observed by engaging your senses? Consider how what you observed may connect to any internal process you may be experiencing. (Example: looking at and listening to a constant flow of water reminds me of my desire for stability and consistency in my life. I notice how tired I am when my environment is always changing while also holding the need to be fluid and agile, like the water in the creek is.) Slowly return back inside or continue to linger outside however long feels nourishing to you.
Journaling prompts for reflection: What is your relationship like with nature? Do you feel comfortable participating in the natural world? Do you notice any shifts internally for you when you allow yourself to connect to something greater than yourself? (For me, this often looks like connecting to my faith or nature, but it could certainly mean something different for you.) Would you be willing to trying an exercise like “Sit Spot” described above? What might be some obstacles that would prevent you from being able to create time and space in your schedule to integrate mindfulness activities like this one into your daily life? What thoughts arose as you were reading this newsletter? Mindfulness starts with noticing your own thoughts and feelings as they come up. Would you be interested in writing those thoughts down to continue expanding on or return to a later time?
*The ecotherapy training I attended was hosted by the East Bay Chapter of California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) and was led by Reverend Connie Habash, LMFT. To learn more about her, please visit her website.
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