Matching the Pace of Nature
I’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors lately, and that time has helped me realize how much I need to slow myself down and realign with the rhythms of nature. Our society tells us that we should always be working, producing, creating, and doing, and it doesn’t leave much room for us to step away from the grind. In this system, prioritizing time to rest in nature feels like a radical act. Especially when it seems like you always have something more important that you should be doing. Nevertheless, I find that these nature resets are necessary for me to create space and cultivate energy within myself to continue making meaningful progress toward my goals. It’s very important for me to find balance and stillness each day. However, I sometimes allow myself to get lost in the current of daily life if I’m not intentional about making time to sync myself up with the pace of the natural world. Our society asks us to forsake our connection to nature’s rhythm in order to facilitate forward progress, but this line of thinking leads us to burnout and spiritual exhaustion. Allowing yourself time to reset and align your being with the heartbeat of Mother Earth has incredible benefits that can create lasting positive change in your life.
If we all took 10-15 minutes a day to immerse ourselves in the natural world in between all of our scheduled obligations, I think we could all find the energy to be kinder to everyone around us including ourselves. When we’re constantly rushing from one place to the next without any care or attention for what our mind, heart, and body need from us, it makes it harder for us to be compassionate with ourselves and others. This pace keeps us in fight or flight constantly, and it gives us no space to process our emotions and work through difficulties and disappointments. I see many different types of people who have varying amounts of stress in their lives, and my advice for them on this topic is often the same. I believe that’s because we’re all collectively experiencing this power struggle between what we believe we must do to keep up and what we really require as humans to keep ourselves afloat.
My advice is to allow yourself to sit quietly in nature for some amount of time a few times per week, and this is often very helpful for clients regardless of their situation. Of course, every day is better than a few times per week, and it’s best to spend as much time as possible, but sometimes these routines aren’t sustainable for us. There is no one size fits all solution, but we can all be more intentional about creating time and space in our lives to do this. Some of my clients have young children and they have a hard time scheduling alone time, so in that situation, I would recommend spending more family time in nature and finding alone time whenever possible. Spending time with your family in nature can allow everyone in your home to reset themselves and feel more grounded and at peace spiritually. One of my favorite activities is getting my bare feet in the grass, dirt, sand, and water. I also feel at peace when I’m watching moving water with the intention of letting go. You could also spend time near trees watching the sunlight that shines through the branches or the way the wind moves through the leaves.
Being quiet outdoors can create much needed space for your mind and body to rest while you’re awake. Sitting to watch the clouds go by might feel boring initially to our overstimulated minds, but once you give it a try you might realize that your brain has been crying out for boredom. We weren’t meant to be entertained every moment of the day, and when we allow ourselves to slow down and observe the world around us, we can see the beauty of stillness. Some of us feel like we need to keep moving at all times or we might stop all together, but when we find the courage to challenge that belief, we have the chance to see our truest self blossom before our eyes. You weren’t created to run endlessly on a loop of productivity. You have much more important things to do. If you allow yourself to step toward a more intentional way of life that leaves room for slow growth, you might meet a version of yourself that is greater than you ever imagined you could be. Your potential is intrinsically linked with your capacity to care for yourself. We aren’t that different from the plants that live here alongside us. We require ideal conditions for growth, and that includes having a connection to our natural world. Give yourself a safe place to grow, balanced nutrition, movement, and true enrichment. You deserve to thrive and bloom.