Selfcare and nature

The last year has seen an enormous rise in home working, home schooling and the way we look after ourselves.  So, as its mental health awareness week let’s look at a few tips to increase selfcare through nature.

1. Ground yourself in nature

Our work and lives now revolve so much around technology.  Our work and social time is now intertwined with social media.  It’s become the norm to see people tapping away on their phones and actually not noticing the beauty around them. Grounding is one great way of connecting to nature, and the earth to recharge and relax.

Why not find a quiet space in your garden or in a green space. Find a place to sit or stand or even lie down if you feel comfortable and take some time out to breath in and out deeply . Notice where you are notice everything from the grass, flowers, and trees to the sky, clouds, and birds. Bring gentle awareness to your surroundings and connect to this moment. As you engage in this practice, feel your body connecting with the ground. Perhaps, imagine how your body is “rooted” to the ground like a tree.

2. Go barefoot

Think of a time perhaps in your adult life or youth where you took off your shoes and socks and felt the soil or grass beneath your feet.  How did that make you feel? free, relaxed? Well, that’s exactly what I would like you to do.  The very experience of feeling soil, leaves, and grass under our feet is ingrained in our DNA. This physical sensation of our skin connecting with the ground is a great way to connect with nature.  Don’t worry about getting dirty – our ancestors were masters of grounding and saw the benefits!

Now, I’m not advising you to walk down the street to your local store barefoot. What I am asking you to think about is consider connecting to the ground or earth the next time you are in your garden or in a green space.   Research indicates that taking some time each day to walk barefoot in the grass can help improve sleep, reduce pain, decrease muscle tension, and lower stress.

3. Engage your sense of hearing in nature

This is a great way of staying in the present moment.  Hearing birds or rustling of leaves can be beneficial. I find closing my eyes helps when I want to connect to the sounds around me. Research suggest that listening to the sounds of nature benefits our wellbeing immensely. A recent study in the UK highlighted that natural sounds can promote relaxation and help us respond to highly stressful situations. Think about when you go for a massage or to a spa perhaps? Those sounds just get you in the zone!

Let, me give you a little challenge. The next time you leave the house, stop and take a moment to focus on sounds. Relax and observe any sounds you encounter. Try focusing your attention on the sounds that are further away from you, and then focus on the sounds that are the closest to you. Can you hear the sounds of your own breathing, too? The idea is to simply notice whatever we hear in the environment around us.

So if you are busy like me and don’t always get the opportunity to get out in nature why not just listen to a recording of the sounds of nature instead.