I recently had the privilege of giving a workshop for Mind over Mountains, an award-winning charity that began in 2020 as an organisation offering professional mental wellbeing support through walking in nature.
Trauma – when we are overwhelmed – so often needs to be dissipated. We need to dispel the charge of response that builds up inside us. Sometimes we humans become like hot water systems with blocked pipes – we so need to unblock ourselves and flow! How we do that varies so much from person to person. Someone I worked with said she needed to feel small by gazing out at the night sky. This action reminded her of her size and gave her a sense of proportion. She did this through deliberately locating herself in relation to the cosmic wonder beyond. She found this comforting and grounding.
In talking with Di West from MoM, I am reminded that as well as listening to ourselves and each other, listening to the sounds of nature can be so consoling. Maybe this really does give us a sense of perspective and naturally calms out minds and bodies. I was recently amused to read this quote attributed to Mark Twain: “I’m an old man now and have had many problems. Most of them never happened.” That is not to underestimate our real sufferings and misfortunes, but how we respond in our minds to life’s curveballs is so critical; and sometimes immersing ourselves in nature can help us in a multitude of ways, beyond our imagining.
…as well as listening to ourselves and each other, listening to the sounds of nature can be so consoling…
The Victorians used to fear nature, and indeed there can be awe and wonder in the face of beauty and vastness; yet as we gaze at the natural world – or even a photograph of it like the one above – we can glimpse beyond the narrow confines of our office space. And as we ponder the wider space that opens up before us, we may get a sense of nature holding us – if we allow ourselves to interact with it in a spirit of openness.
When we immerse ourselves in the alchemy of nature we can be soothed, we can allow what comes up inside us to be released, we can let go of repetitive thoughts and ruminations through movement, and through being open to something else. Rather like the jam jar on the left side of the picture below, we give ourselves breathing space.
