The Restoring Ability of Nature

Do you sometimes feel bone-aching exhaustion? 

What I am referring to is the tiredness you feel when you have depleted all mental and physical resources. 

Your body craves rest and relaxation.

For trauma survivors, sometimes sleep isn't enough, and our bodies need more to get back to regular balance. 

I've noticed that I've felt exhausted after turning in my MFA thesis. I spent seven months doing nothing but juggling my kids between work and study. I had no time to relax.

Now, I'm paying the price. 

How do you feel after a big deadline / project delivery at work? 

I bet you're exhausted like me because your world shifts a little.

Our lives are busy with constant technology changes. People are buzzing around our cities like a hornet's nest. People rush here and there like the world is on fire.

Where's the fire? (I wonder sometimes.)

Is it really necessary to keep up this constant rush?

It's hard to keep up with everything despite scheduling tools and reminder apps.

If you are a working mom like me, you also run the house and take care of a growing family. Life can be overwhelming with everything it throws at us.

We got struck by flu and strep throat during the Christmas holiday. The bugs bulldozed our whole family and we were forced to stop everything and rest. 

When life throws us melons it is a time to think how we can turn that around and make "lemonade," instead of feeling sorry for ourselves.

Maybe relaxing is what you needed all along?

Our time away from work and school brought us closer together and we all recovered. As soon as we all got back on our feet again, my youngest said; "Mommy, can we go to the forest?"

It's winter time here in the northern hemisphere. It's rare that we see any snow where I live, here in the south.

Even though many of us are feeling the colder air right now, it's still important to head outside every day. 

My nan used to tell me that "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes." 

I've kept her wise words alive to this day and teach my kids to go out, despite the cold and rain. I tell them that it's just weather and bundle them up in their rain coats.

The forest trails and the beach still call me during the winter months. Once I get there, I can breathe easier. A fresh change of air and some exercise helps everyone in my family feel a little lighter.

Do you have a special place where you can just breathe, and forget about the world for a while?

Next time you head outdoors, notice how you feel. 

I'm lucky to live near a large forest. As I watch my kids run ahead and play, I can't help but tune into the forest surrounding us. The abundance of nature's sounds has a calming effect on me. 

I feel my heartbeat slow down a little and my whole body relaxes in a way it never does in the city. I feel so much more at ease outdoors. 

I think it is important to stay in tune with nature and appreciate our world.

Do you take regular time out from work, and let yourself just be you?

It's important for everyone to relax, but even more so if you are a trauma survivor. Survivors often feel tense, even in normal situations. 

Sometimes I feel a bit like I am wearing layers of emotions like a thick and heavy winter jacket with layers of jumpers underneath. It could be anything weighing me down. Those layers need to be shed sometimes to let our bodies breathe while and clear our heads.

Maybe the forest is not for you, and you find your solace near the ocean or a lakeside. If water is not your thing then it might be on top of a mountain at the end of a big hike. It might be in the park, or it might be with a friend in your backyard. 

Wherever you feel most comfortable and at home, make that place yours and visit as often as you can.

I have a real passion for nature. It makes me feel at home.

It was the place I ran to for comfort when I was abused as a child. It's where I sought solace from bullies when I was a teenager. It's where I found my inner peace and myself. I always brought my notebook and sat for hours letting my thoughts fall onto the page.

Nature has a restorative ability for me. It could be for you as well. Wherever you go and whoever you meet, nature will always be around us waiting to welcome us, embrace us when we are sad, and listen if you talk, scream, cry, or rage. 

Nature is always constant. You can rely on it.

My name is Lizzy. I'm a trauma survivor, a wife, a mom, a teacher, and an author.

If you like reading my posts, then please follow me.

For more about me: www.elizabethwoodsauthor.com

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Here are a few links to my articles:

Looking for a Change?

https://medium.com/activated-thinker/looking-for-a-change-f391e85abbd7

A Search for Identity

https://medium.com/beyond-lines/a-search-for-identity-893df7c970c2

Are You Searching for Peace?

https://medium.com/illumination/are-you-searching-for-peace-cd54d76231c8

Are You Dealing With Burnout?

https://medium.com/illumination/are-you-dealing-with-burnout-374f774141b4