Long silky ears stood to attention in the tall icy grass. I watched as the hare glided back and forth through the lush frozen garden. I daren’t move a muscle for fear of scaring it away. Woodpeckers pecking away and lambs bleating were the only sounds I could hear. There was no manmade sound in the vicinity except the sound of my pulse thumping in my ears. There was a feeling of total serenity. I was alone, in the early morning sun, with just the animals for company. My thoughts were free to wander uninhibited without the pollution of external factors.
Just a day earlier my friend turned to me, the gentle March sun on her face, her eyes closed and soft, and said “I’m so happy”. We were sitting on the banks of the river Servern, watching it flow gently past. The streams of water reminded me of grey ribbons in the wind. Aside from the sound of water, birds and our smiles, there was nothing. The almost silence washed over us like waves as we sat and soaked in the beautiful view before us.
How often in our busy lives can we just sit and enjoy nature with nowhere to be and nothing on our to do list? If you’re anything like me, the answer to that question is either never or almost never. Sitting on your bum staring misty-eyed at a body of water or prancing around looking at hares at 8am are luxuries we just cannot afford. There’s almost always a load of washing in the machine waiting to be emptied (you’re welcome), encrusted spinach to scrape off the walls, stacks of bills to pay and an empty fridge giving us the side eye.
A year ago my therapist urged me to spend time outside, either in the garden or in nature, and close my eyes and breathe. She’d tell me to listen to the sounds of nature. I looked at her like she’d lost her mind. What sort of BS was this? I needed answers, solutions, practical advice. Frolicking around in a forest hardly sounded like a great use of my time. In hindsight I can see she was offering me some of the most valuable advice I would ever learn. We cannot always change what is happening in our lives but we can change how we react. We can change our mood and our body’s physical response by changing our surroundings. We can lower our stress levels simply by stepping out our front door and breathing (admittedly this is less effective if you live on a busy main road).
The first time I tried this I found a beautiful bridge over a river and I stood there and closed my eyes to soak in the sounds around me and a whopping great helicopter started circling above my head. Hardly the most relaxing of environments. I wanted to give up then and there. How can you possibly stop the carnival of thoughts parading through your mind just by going outside? The short answer is: you can’t. But you can step away for a moment.
I know, easier said than done. Don’t have a garden? Find a park. Don’t live near a nice park? Find a field or a forest. Drive if you have to. Take a bus if you must. Drop the kids off with a family member, get your kid’s carer over, seek out respite care. Just get out, get out wherever you are because the alternative i.e. sitting at home with the merry-go-round of thoughts whizzing round your head will only continue to speed up and take over as you work through your to-do list.
Your washing can wait, the spinach isn’t going anywhere and there’s always frozen pizza for dinner but your mental health can’t wait. Your brain needs to switch off. So, get out and breathe. You won’t regret it.