Naturally Happier

As I write this article the sun is shining in and I can hear birds singing in the garden. Outside the wild primroses are smiling (I'm sure they do) some of which popped up before Christmas. Every year my front lawn gets covered in wild primroses and it's the prettiest sight. There will be a lot more of them yet. My Rosemary is flowering and other garden plants are springing back to life. I've been able to do a bit of work on the garden recently and to dry laundry on the line. It's so nice to be able to spend time outdoors again and feels like a much needed tonic. And there is a growing body of evidence that proves what many of us instinctively feel. And that is, that nature is good for us.

Really this should come as no surprise as we are part of nature. The belief that nature is something separate from us is a relatively recent idea and not even one that is shared by all people. It's the dominant model but not the only one historically or culturally. Humans made their appearance on Earth sometime around 2 and 6 million years ago. The belief that we are separate from nature is just a few hundred years old. Even the idea that we are animals ourselves can seem strange as we are so used to seeing animals as something different to us. 

We depend on nature for food, for water, for the air we breathe but we have created lives for ourselves that have, to a large part, removed us from the rest of nature. And that has implications for all of us.

"On average, a person in contemporary society lives over 99.9% of his or her life devoid of conscious sensory contact with attractions in nature. We spend over 95% of our time indoors. We think, write and build relationships while closeted from nature. This disconnected state deludes us to believe that our extreme separation from nature does not influence our intelligence, sanity or ability to relate responsibly. The state of the world says otherwise." Cohen. 

Though this may not feel like a particularly optimistic outlook the opposite is also true. When we spend time in the company of the rest of nature, we feel the benefit.

The mental health charity 'Mind' recognises Eco-Therapy as helpful in reducing anger, depression, anxiety and stress; and as beneficial to a person's self-esteeem, physical health, social life and confidence. In 2007 The Telegraph reported that "the first study into ecotherapy found that fresh air and exercise cut depression in more than 70 per cent of people. A 30 minute walk in a country park also boosted self-esteem in nine out of 10 sufferers." The benefits are really quite significant.

Ecotherapy can take the form of walking in nature, gardening, spending time with animals - in fact exactly the kind of things many people have found helpful over this last year. I've been offering Walk and Talk as an option for my coaching clients since 2017 due to the well-being benefits that connecting with nature provides.

Of course we can't overlook the Climate Crisis which has come very much to the the attention of all of us over the last few years. You may even have come across the term Eco-Anxiety being used to describe the sense of helplessness that many people have experienced in response to that. Though coaches don't diagnose or treat mental health conditions, they do help people take action.

March 4th is Climate Coaching Action Day and I'm proud to say I shall once again be offering a limited number of free coaching spaces for those who wish to take action in response to the Climate Crisis. Priority will be given to those whose action is likely to have the widest reach - for example those working in education or able to influence culture change in their workplaces. However if this speaks to you, please get in touch. The more people taking action to care for our beautiful planet, the better it is for all our wellbeing.

In the meantime, I'm heading back into the garden to enjoy the sunshine. I hope you can too.

A New Normal for Wellbeing

I want to start this post with a "thank you", and it's a very heartfelt thank you to all of you who have kept things as normal as possible during this challenging time. Where would we be without you? But also a "thank you" to all who have stayed home so that we can get back to normal as soon as possible. But what kind of 'normal' do we want?

Birdsong and Honeysuckle

As I write this I'm sitting in the garden in the sunshine surrounded by bird song. A light breeze is rustling the leaves and there are bees buzzing amongst the clover and the honeysuckle. It's peaceful. It's relaxing. It doesn't really seem like work at all. But it wasn't always this way. I opted out of the 9 to 5 for a better quality of life a few years ago. Little did I know then, that a few years later a great many of us would be finding ways to work from home as a mattter of necessity, and that we'd all be rediscovering what's really important.

What Have We Discovered?

I think it's fair to say that the things we miss aren't the material things or status symbols but our friends and family. That we've discovered how important the environment is to us because nature lifts our spirits. That we enjoy having time to prepare good, nutritious meals - even baking our own bread. That our hobbies and creative pursuits give us an opportunity to express who we are. That we love to learn. That our communities matter. And that our well-being matters.

And perhaps more importantly, that these are the things that help us live happy, fufilling lives - even in the most challenging of circumstances.

Risk and Opportunity

A shift is happening. We are already reconsidering our priorities. A recent poll showed that people in the UK now want the government to prioritise well-being over economic growth , during the Coronavirus crisis and after. (Reported in the Guardian 10/5/2020)

But as I sit here I can also hear a lot of cars going by - a lot more than I have recently, and that concerns me. Not just because we're not yet out of lockdown but because us humans are often creatures of habit. I get it. It's the easy option. But it concerns me that we might slip back to the way we were and that we might lose all that we have learned. That is the risk we face unless we make the most of this opportunity.

And I do believe this really is an amazing opportunity; to learn, to prioritise and to take action. Because without action, nothing changes.

Prioritising Well-being

I believe we can create the world we want. Not in a new-agey way but in a very real way through our choices and the decisions we make. And now is a great time to make those decisions - while the things that matter are fresh in our minds.

We can decide to maintain the good relationships we've built with our neighbours. We can decide to make time for our hobbies. We may even decide that our old lifestyle no longer works and commit to making changes that will allow us to live in a way which prioritises what really matters. What the New Normal looks like is really up to each of us.

So I just want to leave you with a few journalling prompts. Grab a pen (and maybe a coffee) and allow yourself a moment to reflect on these questions. And if you want to share your thoughts in the comments below, please do.

*What have you learned from this experience?

*What of your old lifestyle no longer works for you?

*What might a happier and healthier "normal" look like for you?

Simple Steps from Stressed to Zzzzz

On a scale of 1 to 10. How stressed do you feel today? (Read on for your unique stress management plan).

How do you feel when someone talks about Stress Management? I'll be honest and say that even the word 'stressed' makes me start to feel stressed. So that's why I want to approach this a little bit differently.

In fact I don't want you to focus on stress at all. If you're feeling stressed (and possibly stressing about feeling stressed) I invite you to focus on how you'd like to feel instead.

Grab a pen and paper and write down (or draw) how you'd like to feel. Maybe you want to feel relaxed? Or maybe you have another word that describes what you want better?

Then bring to mind all the times recently when you have felt the way you want to feel. Even if those were just moments. Every moment matters. Jot down as many of those moments as you can remember.

Look over your list and circle all the moments you could include in your daily life.

Commit to include 1 or more of these each day.

Congratulations - you have your own unique stress management plan and hopefully are starting to feel better already.

I'd love to know how well this worked for you.