Lessons I learned from nature and taking time off
The act of taking time for yourself and disconnecting from the fast-paced lifestyle is important to your health. If you ever have a workaholic tendency, switching off may feel odd and unnatural. It is important to take a mental and physical rest as well as change your routine from time to time. This brings balance back to your life. I would like to share with you what I learned about nature and taking time off.
1. Exploring new sports, interests, and hobbies
Sports and interests are ways to express yourself in a non-verbal way. The nature of interests is bound to change as you go through life. I have learned that I enjoy arts and watersports as a hobby that I noticed over the years. The extra plus side of being on a vacation on a beach was being surrounded by nature which made the experience more grounding and relaxing. Nature is often underestimated when it comes to connecting with the world around you and inside of you.
2. Nature is healing, recharges you, and connects with yourself
The healing powers of nature are underestimated as sometimes all you need is some time spent outdoors surrounded by nature. Try spending a day on the beach, exposing your skin to the salt from the ocean water, letting the sun get absorbed by your skin, and taking deep breaths. How would you feel after it? Nature brings you back to your true essence and calmness that is not seen in the busy lifestyle. Some science to this feeling is because ocean water renews your energy is the presence of ions that lift your mood. It allows you to connect with yourself on a deep level when you are not distracted by anything else.
3. Allow yourself to feel joy and be present
Sometimes you deprive yourself of feeling joy until you achieve something worth celebrating. I invite you to change your mindset around this idea as small wins are meant to be celebrated too. I felt this vacation was a laptop-free and business work-free trip that allowed me to be present and live in the moment. Once you are used to a routine, it forms a habit and becomes second nature to you. The feelings of zero motivation, irritability, and fatigue are signs of the need to change your routine. I embraced the sunlight, wind, peace, and connecting with friends and family. Some things may be seemed trivial, but the small things make the difference.
4. Disconnecting to connect again
When you are in your head and constantly mentally stimulated, you need to detach to see a different perspective. Disconnection from your thought is not negative when you are always planning the next step/move/achievement. Constantly being busy and in your head can result in fatigue and burnout. These thoughts have patterns and realizations you may not notice only if you create the space to reflect on your thoughts and emotions. When you connect again, you feel vitalized and understand yourself better. If you want to let go of what is not serving you, let it go and replace it with something better for you. For example, the thought of “rest is unproductive” with” rest is productive.” This is going to change your mindset around rest, and you can recharge your energy levels to do what you love and serve others and yourself.
5. Trusting nature to support you
Nature is a true gift. It can be tough and gentle at the same time. I learned from kayaking when going against the current that it is harder and requires more strength to go against the current. If you go with the flow of currents, it is easier, and you can require less energy. The idea here is to imagine the ocean and its currents as life, and the kayak as you go through life. When I tried an electric standing board, I felt unsure at first. As I went deeper into the water, I started feeling peace and support from the water under me. I knew I was safe in the water and savored the moment. Nature supports you in ways that you don’t comprehend. The silence allows you to listen to your true voice and thoughts and reflect on them. It can be transformative for some.
6. Recovery work pays off when you notice the positive changes
Recovery has its challenges and is not linear. You have your good and bad days in recovery. Struggles and self-doubts may come up to mind. What you can do to challenge your inner critic and replace it with another thought that supports your recovery. Let’s take this scenario as an example. You are wearing a swimsuit, but you are judging your body and criticizing it. You notice this thought pattern and tell yourself “I appreciate and love my body.” This changes where you are focusing your attention on. Recovery wins are witnessed when you are faced with a trigger and dealt with it with a healthy approach that supports your recovery. Some tips to help are to be present now and accept your body for what it does for you. The body is more than how it looks as it includes your mental and physical strength to carry you through life. This example I gave is what I experienced, and I genuinely enjoyed my time rather than obsessing over body image and weight. I noticed that I was living in the moment. Happiness was felt from deep within and my body felt light. I hope you get to experience this at some point as it is an amazing feeling you deserve to experience. There is life and joy after healing your relationship with food, body, and yourself.
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