If you want to decrease stress and increase peace and well-being, for many people a great place to start is by connecting with nature. This doesn’t mean you have to backpack 5 miles into the woods and calmly feed mosquitoes while you meditate. But there is an earth-based energy force that you can feel and that can feed you spiritually and energetically when you make the time to connect with it.
Wherever you live, there are ways to connect to nature-energy. Sometimes, there may be challenges to overcome to make this possible, but the benefits far outweigh the effort.
The first step is to create a private, personal outdoor space where you can separate yourself from the trauma and drama that often comes with daily life and responsibilities.
If you live in an apartment or condo with no ground-level patio, even a small porch can be a mini-oasis for plants, bird feeders, wind chimes, candles or an herb garden. You’d be amazed what you can fit if you are creative. Window boxes can be hung off porch rails and bird feeders can be attached to plant hangers on the side of the building.
In urban areas where you may not have access to private outdoor space, a sunny window or one with a view of the moon may have to do. I’ve even been known to make my outdoor “private” time a lounge chair at the community pool. It afforded some much needed Vitamin D and a place that helped me to separate from the cares and woes of my life at the time.
In rural areas you can create pretty much anything your budget allows, from a simple Adirondack chair in a relaxing place to elaborate gardens and fountains.
What’s important is not how much or how little you have, but bringing in elements that make you smile and relax.
The goal is simply to create a place where you can viscerally let go of the demands on your body and mind just for a few minutes and rest! This alone is the key to reducing anxiety and encouraging a shift to calm.
For those of us who appreciate a nice breeze, the smell of rain or the birds and creatures of the earth, nature can be powerful medicine.
Comment below and tell us about your personal nature-remedy!
