In sync with nature?

[wand3rer]

Hi,

No idea where to post this 😂

I’d like to feel more in sync with nature. But not in a woo-woo way! I would like to make small, practical changes, like eating fruits and vegetables that are in season, bringing natural scents inside (without scented candles, as they give me headaches), and taking more walks outdoors.

What other simple ways might help me connect with nature more?

On a related note, when I used to smoke, I could sit for hours in a garden or park with a cigarette. Letting my mind go blank and just observing the trees around me. Without cigarettes, I get restless within minutes. I really miss those moments!

How do I regain that?

🙏

Meditate outdoors while walking or sitting (minus ciggy)? Get into gardening even if it's just a few pots on a windowsill... Or be a volunteer gardener? Notice the moon, watch the birds...

Gardening including growing some food, getting involved in a community garden, making seasonal jams and chutneys etc either from things you gave grown or from foraging. Gathering seasonal foliage, flowers etc (grown by you or foraged responsibly) to display in your home or use for crafts.

Yesterday afternoon i went out for a bit and collected some rowan berries and elderberries to make rowan jelly and elderberry cordial. They cost pennies to make but the whole process gets you out into nature and enjoying the season. I also harvested the last of the peas from my garden and we had them with dinner. Really mindful and relaxing!

Take up smoking again and commune with the tobacco plants.

Read a book, learn to draw or paint, listen to audiobooks or podcasts, drink water, crochet, knit, embroider.

Volunteer with a local wildlife organisation

My boyfriend and his dog recently came to live with me.

I love the dog walks so much and they have definitely made me remember my love of just being in the countryside. We walk the same route every day after work to a field and some meadows and a stream. Or sometimes further afield (my house is a few minutes walk from rolling hills and countryside).

It made me remember the dog walks I went on with my mum as a young teenager. I loved those times so, so much and it's made me so happy to go back to it. My children are young adults now so I have time to do this.

Get a dog? Or, I have a friend who walks her cats! She doesn't put a lead on her but your could! It appears to be becoming more acceptable to do this.

Or just walk. Find a local walking group or a friend who could join you.

I understand the longing.

*Foraging stuff like wild garlic, brambles, berries, dandelions, make different foods/teas with them.
*Leave the house for a walk (sit outside without your phone/music) and just enjoy the sights and sounds of nature.
*Reduce UPF, eat only when you are hungry
*Bird watching, bat , bird, general wildlife observation. We have owls in our garden and just listening to them at night is so awesome.
*Make a bird feeder for winter
*Plant some fruit trees
*Maybe some sort of craft with natural material if you are into that? Think leaves, pinecones, something with clay etc

I would second foraging, it's a lovely, mindful and productive way to spend time in nature.

This year is a mast year (a year when everything goes crazy and produces loads and loads of fruit/seeds etc), so there is a lot around.

Sloe gin is an easy (and delicious) thing to make, and sloes are everywhere and abundant this year. Crabapples are easy to find and indentify as well - crabapple jelly is a nice thing to make with them, though a bit involved.

Be super careful with mushrooms unless you are 100% sure what you are picking - lots of people run mushrooming/foraging courses which is a good way to learn.

I love this book: www.waterstones.com/book/the-foragers-calendar/john-wright/9781781256220

So many great ideas! Thank you!

Quite a few mention gardening. I could kill a cactus, so it’s beyond me. But I did volunteer to pick litter in parks in the past, and it does help me zone out. I’ll look into that again.

@Namechangewksjhsksjsv: Noticing the moon is a good call too. I’m a night owl 😁

@Redbushteaforme: I used to press flowers as a child. Worth getting back to that 😊

@countrygirl99: Living in a city, I’m not sure how possible it would be to volunteer regularly for a wildlife organisation. But I could get involved in a wildlife census 😊

@Lifeofthepartay: I went forest bathing with a group and loved it. But on my own, I find it difficult to slow down and listen to the sounds of nature. I’d love an owl! ☺️

@rbe78: Does collecting apples left by neighbours for collection in front of their homes count as foraging? 😅 I drink hawthorn tea and it does have a slightly bitter taste. How is the sloe gin?

@Greggsit: Yes, that would be my first choice 😂

@Francestein: I do listen to audiobooks, but somehow I never thought of just sitting outside listening to them. That should help with the restlessness 😊

@Poirot1983: We can’t unfortunately have a dog where we live, but I’d love a furry companion for daily walks. It’s lovely that walking your boyfriend’s dog brings back those memories with your mum ☺️

Thanks for this @rbe78. I have never heard of the Mast year before but it now makes sense when I’m out walking, that the woods and roads are absolutely covered with fallen acorns and horse chestnuts. Masses of beautiful red berries everywhere too.

@wand3rer butterfly surveys might go on in a park or similar. They are a summer activity though and finish at the end of September. You could try contacting UK Butterfly Monitoring (UKBMS) to see if there is anything in your area for next summer. It's fascinating to observe the changes in species and numbers over the summer. The transect I do had a high of over 600 on a route that usually takes an hour to walk - took longer than day! I started walking the route with someone experienced and did some on my own later in the summer.

@countrygirl99 Wow, busy day! It sounds lovely ☺️

I go to a meditation group and the leader suggests going barefoot in nature to really feel grounded to the earth,

Might be a nice chance for a new hobby to evolve as well? I’ve started photography down from the tiniest of mushrooms on the bark of a tree up to the massive canopy of the tree above. It really helps bring me perspective and shift my mindset from going “through” nature (eg. On a walk) to being “in” nature. Do this often enough and you’ll notice the little things that change week to week and it is very grounding :)

enjoy and update us on what works for you :)

@Jenkibuble: I love being barefoot! 😊

@TheWildZebra: Very good idea too! I think I might be a little self-conscious doing it in public spaces. I could start small: the droplets on the windows, a new leaf on a houseplant, or the spiderweb on the balcony ☺️

It's only 4 times a year but we make a big deal of solstices and equinox in our house. Always with a fire, treats and chat about the last 3 months and what the next 3 will bring. It really centres me in the season we're heading into/out of

I once lived in a house with high ceilings and massive windows. So big, that finding curtains was a nightmare . And expensive. So I didn’t have any. It was quite amazing the effect that it had on my body clock.

I'm learning to recognise more different types of trees and wild flowers and recognise the songs of different birds (the Merlin app helps with the last one).

Foraging is brilliant for connecting into nature.
Get a few books with photos to help you recognise what you are looking for.
Currently there are plenty of rosehips, some elderberries still around and hawthorn berries.
You can make hawthorn ketchup, elderberry cordial (it's great in gin) and rosehips are a great source of vitamin c.
You can add more plants to your repertoire each year and start to think about their nutritional and medicinal properties.
I have a tea cupboard with separate dried herbs so I add to a teapot whatever I feel I need that time. It's a craft way to connect.

You'll start to notice patterns in what grows and eventually it will feel like you're passing old friends when you walk.

Brilliant ideas from the night owls too (or those in different time zones) ☺️

@Devonmaid1844: I love family traditions! Unless you were already into paganism, what made you think of this one? It’s brilliant 😊

@Balhambanana: I would really benefit from doing that as my circadian cycle is all over the place! 😅

@Faircastle: Thanks, I have downloaded the Merlin app ☺️

@NettleandBramble: I’m big into herbal teas but would be cautious about making my own 😬 How do you manage to dry it enough to prevent mold growth? 🙏

Sunny window sill, low heat on the bottom shelf of the oven - using the residual heat when it has already been cooking dinner means using no extra power. Hanging with something over to keep cosy off but allowing sore to circulate. Dehydrator.

My dehydrator was £30 but works very well. Things tend to keep their colour nicely when using it.

You can store in airtight jars. I have a few things that I put those little packets in that come in tablets that catch moisture, generally things I'm in and out of a lot or berries. I've never had a problem with mould.

Another thing you can do is take a walk and pick your morning tea as you go and use it fresh. You can add it to whatever shop bought herb tea you enjoy.

I really enjoyed the books how to read water and how to read trees, maybe look for something like that that interests you then you have a focus while you settle until your mind goes blank.