Reconnect Through Nature: Summer Practices for Inner Calm
When was the last time you sat on the grass and didn’t check your phone?
Connection is a basic need, but checking your phone is a habit. There are many ways to make connections that don’t involve technology and we’ve been using them for thousands of years. Before the advent of mobile phones, before the internet, before even things like the postal service, humans have been maintaining connections with each other and with their natural environment. Those connections are believed to run far deeper that can be achieved with a text message or a social media post.
I wonder if it is time to rediscover how to reconnect through nature as we once did.
Summer is a time for emotional openness:
- Sunlight boosts your mood and energy.
- Time outdoors calms your nervous system.
- We mirror Nature’s vitality and spirit at this time of year.
- Stillness becomes easier – warmth and longer days encourage you to slow down.
- Our bodies are less hidden by summer clothing and swimsuits.
- We unconsciously shed our emotional armour along with physical layers.
There are a significant number of respected studies that suggest that Nature regulates the nervous system. It reduces blood pressure, increases your ‘heart rate variability’ and activates the ‘parasympathetic state’ that helps you rest and repair from stress.
On top of that, nature doesn’t judge us, everything happens in its own time, regardless of our need to hurry, or compress time.
‘Nature doesn’t hurry, yet everything is accomplished’ – Lao Tzu.
When you are feeling emotionally flat, or numb, it may be a sign that you need to reconnect through nature. Perhaps you find yourself overthinking, being irritable or constantly doomscrolling on your phone. It could be that you are craving a different kind of fulfilment. It could be that your body and mind needs to reconnect with your natural environment. It may be that you need to release your creativity and be more present in the moment.
How to reconnect through nature.
This reconnection can be achieved very simply.
At the very minimum, try just removing your shoes and socks when you are on grass, soil or sand. Feel the direct connection with the earth beneath you and you may be surprised at the difference it can make to your state of mind.
If you find yourself rushing around from place to place, notice the world around you and seek out a natural space – a park, a quiet bench on a grass verge, a churchyard or a local nature reserve. Some people seek a ‘companion tree’. With the firm bark against your back and the roots spreading out below you.
Sit there for ten minutes and let the world move without you. Pay attention to the natural world and notice that it has its own pace.The insects buzz ceaselessly, but the flowers grow slowly and gently, following the sun. Trees are growing slower still.
If you want a more structured way to do this then you could use the well-known ‘5 things’ technique – an excellent way to handle anxiety and stress:
- Notice 5 things you see;
- Notice 4 things you feel;
- Notice 3 things you hear;
- Notice 2 things you smell;
- Notice 1 thing you taste.
Finally, take time to write. Journal without a goal – write with the wind. Just allow your thoughts to come out on a page, not with a view to analysing or solving problems and not with the expectation that what you write will ever be read.
Empty your brain onto the page or describe what you see around you. If you are having trouble then try out these journal prompts.
There is a place I go to where I can walk free and alone through quiet woodland. It is a special place and when I am feeling anxious, stressed, or just empty, I can walk there, and it never fails to lift my mood and improve my mental state. I become aware of my surroundings at a deeper level, and especially of all the life around me. I can hear rustling in the undergrowth, the creak of tree trunks rubbing against each other and the song of so many birds.
A little knowledge helps too. If you can, put a name to a flower, recognize a birdcall, understand the seasons a little and recognize the signs of other creatures. Buy some books. Watch some natural history programmes. Google it if you must. Don’t feel embarrassed at how little you know, be proud that you are willing to learn.
Oh, and did you bring your phone with you? Next time, leave it behind. Whatever it is can wait.
“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”
— Kahlil Gibran
Robert Sanders is highly experienced therapist and coach, supporting people in their present and helping them create their future. He specialises in anxiety, confidence and finding purpose. He has worked with CEOs, Authors, Musicians, Actors and entrepeneurs across the UK and the rest of the world.
