This week I have been on holiday. It was great to be away from home enjoying another part of Scotland. It has been a while since we were able to go away and relax.
One day we went out for a walk and sat by the river and read our books. I had my feet in the river, enjoying the coolness of the water, watching the wee fish dart about. I could feel myself relax as I sat there, the sound of the water, being surrounded by trees, everything was calm.
I sat there for a while just watching the water, listening to the birds, it was beautiful. I picked up my book and began to read and I realised this is the most relaxed I had been in a while. Nature really does help you to feel good. Although I did take several pictures whilst we sat there. It was to remind me how amazing this little spot had been. No interruptions, no hustle or bustle just me, my husband, our books and the river.
It was difficult to leave as it was a beautiful spot. I took a video of a leaf which had fallen into the river and followed it as far as I could. I took it as a reminder, to slow down, and notice. We all have a path and even the areas where we get stuck, eventually we can work it out and move forward. Nature works itself out and we do too. We really do forget that we are part of it all. We are nature, part of the functioning of the habitat, the cycles. But we separate ourselves from it, perhaps not intentionally, but we don’t feel part of the wild anymore.
We live in houses, work in offices, go to supermarkets, we drive cars. None of this is natural. We have slowly separated ourselves, pulled away from the outdoors. So aside from just going for walks. What can we do to bring back nature into our everyday? Here are five ideas to get you started:
- Find a spot outside where you can sit and read a book, a newspaper or even your emails without interruption. Make sure you can sit there in all weathers safely. It may mean you take an umbrella for the wet days. You don’t have to go too far off the beaten track. There are many local country parks, or trails or paths that have benches already there for you to sit there. Sitting next to water can be particularity calming, perhaps there is a beach nearby or a lovely river you can listen to the water whilst you read. Make it a spot you can easily get to, so you can go there a few times a week or daily if you like. You may wish to sit and observe or practice yoga. You want it to be a quiet-ish spot.
- Put plants in your house or office. Put them throughout your space. If you’ve got a corner in your house that needs something, pop a plant there, make it a calm spot for you to sit and enjoy. Go to your local garden centre or nursery and discover which plants are suited to the indoors as well your space. Only buy ones you like though, if you don’t like the look of it, it will not help you create the serene atmosphere.
- Take photos of your favourite outdoor spots and print them out. Print them on canvas and hang them up throughout your house or take them to your office and dot them about. You can look at them in times of stress or when you just need a moment. If you are artistic, perhaps you could paint trees and leaves etc onto the walls in your house, make it a theme in one room or all of them.
- Go outside and record the birds singing or the sound of the waves crashing or lapping against the shore. Then play these on a loop when you want to bring the outdoors in. There are also many, many apps that you can download for free that do the same job. It can be very soothing to listen to just before you drop off to sleep.
- Take your shoes off and dip your feet in the water or walk on the cool grass to help you really connect with nature. Make sure it is a good surface – walking on gravel will be highly uncomfortable compared with a beach or grass. Connecting with nature and really grounding yourself like this can have a soothing effect on you. In the morning, why not go into your garden and sit with your bare feet on the ground or walk whilst you have your morning cuppa.
We often don’t realise how much we need nature in our lives, we have drifted away from it being a daily occurrence to it being something that is ‘out there’. We must not forget that we are nature, we are all part of it. Make today the day you reconnect with nature and find a spot ‘out there’ to help you do this.
Have a great week. Take care and look after you.
Love Emma xx
Wellbeing with Relaxing Lavender 