Nature connection

I recently went on a walk in the beautiful woodland local to my house. This walking route is one I do several times a week to get some fresh air, get moving and exercise my dog. I walked out of my house, across the road and into the woodland. The next thing I knew, I was coming out of the woodland and heading back to the house. This was about 30 minutes later. I realised I had done the whole walk completely distracted by thoughts about to-do lists, dinner planning, work tasks, social events etc.

Even though I did what I set out to do (get some air and exercise for my dog and me) I’d done it so unconsciously and mindlessly that I didn’t have the awareness to appreciate the nature all around me or connect with it in any way.  

There are a huge number of benefits associated with connecting with the natural world around us, too many to mention! Some benefits include stress reduction, improved creativity, boosted immunity, improved mood and a clearer headspace.  

As I discovered, it can sometimes take effort to appreciate the outside environment around us, particularly if we have things on our minds, so I decided that the next time I went out I’d use a framework, working with my 5 senses, to make my walk a more mindful one.

Here is the framework I use if you’d like to try it:

For 5 minutes the next time you’re out in nature, or just outside in general, consciously explore your surroundings with your 5 senses, using 1 minute for each sense:

1.      Sight - what can you see around you? Notice the objects, shapes, colours, textures, depths, sizes etc.

2.      Hearing – what can you hear around you? Notice all sounds, man-made or natural, in the distance and closer to you

3.      Smell – what can you smell around you? Notice all smells pleasant, unpleasant, subtle, strong etc.

4.      Touch – what does the environment feel like? Notice different textures, temperatures etc.

5.      Taste – (possibly an ambitious one, and of course only to be done if you’re a confident forager and have no doubt of what it is you’re sampling!) what do things taste like? Are there any edible fruits or edible leaves around to try?

This a quick and useful framework to make sure that on every walk I now do, I slow down to experience nature, quieten my thoughts, and feel the wonderful benefits to my wellbeing!

Enjoy connecting with nature!