How nature can heal
I would like to share the story of how I started nature journaling and how it helped me heal my body and get my life back from a debilitating health condition.
I have suffered from a chronic illness for many years, a problem of the autonomic nervous system. At my lowest point the illness was completely debilitating and I passed most of my time in bed, unable to work. Sometimes I was so exhausted I lacked even the strength to hold a book. Sometimes my sympathetic nervous system was so highly activated that even listening to an audiobook felt like an overwhelming stress. Some days there was nothing I was able to do except lie motionless in my bed. Through all this, nature was a force that buoyed me and allowed me to remain connected to the world outside of myself.
Below is something I wrote in my notebook during this time. It shows how I was still able to connect with nature and enjoy its healing benefit, even on days when I was unable to leave the house:
15/10/2012
“As I lie here in my bed, a wind sweeps in through the open door. With it comes the smell of the outdoors, of the soil, as well as something sun-warmed, green and alive. The smell connects me with the world. Even though, for now, I am confined to my bed, there is a wildness to which I belong and can access in small ways whenever I need to connect with and be reminded of it, of my own true nature.”
On my better days I was able to go out into the backyard and I would sit on a deck chair and watch the trees and follow the activities of birds and other creatures. This became my sit-spot. It gave me so much joy to notice the changes that were occurring around me in this small patch of green space. Two crows were nesting high in a gum tree. I was thrilled to see their nest and to watch their comings and goings. Then I started to notice other nests, other birds, and the multitude of wild activity that was going on around me. A suburban backyard is absolutely full of life, when you take time to notice it.
I began to write down all these things in a notebook and add some sketches here and there. I wrote about the changes I was seeing and also about how I felt during my time in nature. When I was able, I would go to the park in front of my house and sketch there too, or just sketch the park from my bedroom window. I noticed that one of the trees I could see was losing its leaves in spring instead of autumn and this brought many questions to mind. I wrote the questions in my journal.
Nature observation and nature journaling became a type of meditation for me; a way to slow the mind, calm the nervous system and stay connected with myself and with the world. Although this time in my life was full of uncertainty and physical limitations, I found a calm and centred place and felt happiness and fulfillment deeper than ever before. Through close observation of nature, I was able to live fully in the present moment. Documenting the backyard in my nature journal gave my life structure and purpose and kept my mind focused and active.
Finding this level of inner calm and practicing self-care alongside nature, let my nervous system rest and restore. From this point I was able to begin to build strength and recover my health. I started an exercise routine, very tentatively at first and building from there. This was a long and slow process but I know that finding so much calm was the foundation for being able to spiral upwards instead of downwards. Today I am more physically well than ever. Although I do still have to manage my health condition, I am living a life I never imagined possible during the days of my illness.
For me, nature connection is synonymous with inner connection. There is a deep peace that comes from paying attention, experiencing wonder and feeling connected to the world around us. For me this has been a profoundly healing, life-changing experience.