Nurturing Our Relationship With Ourselves – H&S Love Affair
Nurturing Our Relationship With Ourselves: A Simple Exercise To Connect With Nature And Our Inner Self– Written By Michelle Arscott
Life is so busy, juggling work, family, play and looking after our health and general wellbeing. We all know what is good for us but how do we manage to squeeze everything in, in an ideal world we would have extra hours in the day! Taking time to reconnect with ourselves doesn’t have to take a lot of time. It can be as simple as ten minutes connecting with nature, in the garden, under a tree, outdoors. Connecting with nature is like music for the soul, an immediate mental health boost. Even a short time outside can activate the happy part of our brain and lower stress and anxiety levels.
Take ten minutes of your time and go outside, in Nairobi we are blessed with all the amazing greenery around, the greener and quieter the area the better. Even if you can’t go outside, find a quiet space and try this exercise.
Find a comfortable spot and take three deep breaths, breathing in and out and with every exhalation feel more and more relaxed.
1. Focus on everything that you can see around you, heighten the colours you can see and the shapes and just take a moment to take in all of the sights.
2. Imagine now just focusing on the sounds around you, turning up the volume. Maybe close your eyes to heighten the experience. What are the sounds that you can hear?
3. Tap into your other sensations, for eg how does the wind feels against your skin? How are you feeling? What’s coming up for you as you take a moment to pause and step off the crazy wheel of life.
4. Imagine that you could bottle that feeling, what would it taste like? Imagine tasting that feeling, what would the sensation be? What would it give you?
Take three more deep breaths in and out and just appreciate the moment, take a body scan and just check-in, what’s emerging? Spend a few more moments to express gratitude to nature and also to yourself for taking the time to do this exercise and to pause.
Even just taking a small time out for ourselves, can be very powerful and restorative. So really there is no excuse to neglect one of the most important relationships in our lives, the relationship with ourselves!
Michelle Arscott – The International Adult & Kids Life Coach
BSc (Econ) Psychology & Sociology
PGCE Education
ILM certified Coach
Kids Life Studio Certified Coach