 The word is out. Walking has so many health benefits that countless people are now incorporating this form of exercise into their day. Now that Spring is in the air in the Northern Hemisphere, we have an opportunity to add some extra pep to our steps with these three tips. One: Learn about the medicinal herbs that are growing along your walking path. For example, just this morning I picked some purple dead nettles which when boiled in water to make tea can have diuretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial effects. (1) Before harvesting any plants for medicinal use, be sure to consult with a certified Herbalist and your licensed healthcare team to ensure that it is safe for you to use.  Two: Take notice and appreciate the emergence of Spring. We all get hijacked by stress, but taking time to slow down and connect with our natural world has been shown to have significant stress-reducing benefits. (2). If you walk the same path regularly, notice how the tree branches begin with simple buds along their branches. In a day or two those buds may begin to swell. As the temperature warms and daylight extends, a leaf may begin to unfurl before your eyes. Ask yourself, how are you choosing to emerge this Spring season? Can you extend yourself some grace as you notice that the natural environment around you recreates itself slowly, not all at once?  Three: Add an evening walk to your day. A morning walk within an hour of waking has a profound impact on regulating our circadian rhythm which can significantly help us sleep well. (3). As daylight increases, we have the opportunity to add a walk to the end of our day. Not only will we improve our digestion (4), but if we time it right, we may get to experience the awe of a magnificent sunset.  Want to learn more about how walking with Nature can enhance your holistic health? Download Get In Step With Nature now LINK. Free for kindleunlimited users.
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 Long after we have returned our loved ones to the earth and celebrated their lives with those who loved them most, there comes a time when we find ourselves alone with the pain and sorrow from the loss of their physical presence. Those who care about us and who provided support and comfort move on with their lives. Grief groups, therapy, and various other modalities may help. The one true constant, however, who is always there to provide us solace and guidance is Mother Nature.
A slow walk through a forest, a stroll along a lake, or simply sitting and gazing at the sky can tap us into a wellspring of wisdom and a sense of companionship in ways we may have never experienced or needed. We may notice a certain wildlife species that seems to stir something inside us. For example, my late mother always enjoyed watching the crows outside our kitchen window. “What do you like about the crows?” I once asked her. “I like the way they walk with that attitude, their chests puffed out, and shout what they have to say,” she responded. I think she envied the self-assuredness the crows exhibited. When she passed away, I found that a crow would appear at odd times and either fly right above me or land on a nearby branch and begin cawing repeatedly. The sound of the crow triggered something inside me that made me feel like it was my mother paying me a visit. This comforts me. When my maternal grandmother died, it was such a bone-chilling cold day we couldn’t bury her after her funeral because the ground was frozen solid. On the way home, I noticed a ladybug crawling on the window beside me. I reached out and held it in my hand, watching it crawl along, and again, I had a sensation like it was my grandmother with me. It eventually flew away, but ever since then, very often in unseasonable weather for ladybugs to be present, a ladybug will land on me, and I get that sensation of her presence which always warms my heart. Visiting with Mother Nature in whatever way we have access to, can also provide us with wisdom about life through the many metaphors it provides. A new branch sprouting from a fallen tree rotting in a pond displays the cycle of life. A cloud passing by in the form of an angel or the light streaming through the clouds as the sunrises can make us feel connected to the divine. Watching a batch of daffodils emerge from the soil in spring may make us feel that our loved one’s soul has flowered beyond this earthly life. Gazing at a night sky filled with stars can humble us and remind us that we are all a small part of this vast Universe. When the pain of grief becomes just too much to bear, remember Love Never Dies. Book Review: Nature Connection: Fixing our Broken Relationship with Nature. *This blog contains affiliate links which will contribute a small fee to the work of The Nature Nurse™, PLLC without any added charge to you if you choose to purchase one of the books mentioned in the blog. Imagine being on the Titanic tourist submarine right now. The world watching with bated breath hoping and praying that the people trapped way below the ocean's surface with limited air are found and rescued. It’s yet again, another real-time, real-life drama playing out before our very eyes. Just as the images of orange-tinged smoke engulfed New York City and other areas in the United States due to wildfires miles away in Canada this month. All reminders of how important the ability to breathe is to our survival. As it turns out, trying to live without a reverent relationship with our natural world, is like trying to survive without breathing. Dr. Mile’s Richardson newly published book, Nature Connection: Fixing our Broken Relationship with Nature is a much-need dose of oxygen to aid not only the health and well-being of humans but the health of our planet.  Richardson skillfully weaves several recent studies into a relentless manifesto declaring that having a relationship, not just visiting or recreating, with our natural world is essential to humans' well-being and the more biodiverse the setting, the more it supports our mental health. This comes at a time when biodiversity is plunging. What Richardson does not include in his book is the big elephant in the room: the human population has been growing rapidly over the past several years. The author does include how the shift in our thinking and relationship with the natural world has been a catalyst for our destruction of plants, soil, wildlife, water, and more. So how do we begin to restore our home, planet Earth? Richardson outlines a formula, based on recent studies, that needs to be integrated into policy, practice, and education immediately to turn this modern-day Titanic situation around. Although most of this book references situations in the United Kingdom, I found it very pertinent to what is going on in the United States also. Richardson’s book joins the likes of other nature relationship-promoting books such as Blue Mind by Wallace J. Nichols and Sacred Nature by Karen Armstrong. Each of these authors calls on us to establish and cultivate a loving relationship with our natural world. This is a bold step in the world of science which traditionally dictates keeping emotion out of the narrative. Yet emotion is the biggest motivator for behavior. Nature Connection: Fixing our Broken Relationship with Nature is an essential read for leaders, policymakers, educators, healthcare professionals, and anyone else looking for the path to a planet where we can live well and in harmony with our natural world. Ready to learn more about how you can deepen your relationship to our natural world and live a more sustainable, vibrant life? Subscribe now to The Nature Nurse™, PLLC seasonal, free e-newsletter on the homepage of this website now.
 Did you know that:
Honey bees must gather nectar from two million flowers to make just one pound of honey. The average honey bee only makes one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. It takes two million flowers to make one pound of honey? Bees are one of the most important pollinator species to our food security and ecosystems. Honeybees provide pollination services valued at between $15-20 billion annually in the United States alone. How can we help support these insects that are so vital to our survival? Here are three simple things most of us can do:
Share this blog with others to create a global movement to support our pollinator friends and expand our awareness of their vital role in our lives and the lives of over a thousand plants such as coffee, nuts, spices, and our favorite fruits and vegetables. Ready to learn more about how connecting with nature can enhance your holistic health and the health of our planet? Subscribe now to The Nature Nurse™, PLLC seasonal e-newsletter: LINK |
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