I rested my body on the forest grass, gave my soul to the wilderness and never looked back. – Angie Weiland Crosby
I heard something this week that made me consider how I use the terms healing and cure. I don’t talk much about cure. It’s not in my vocabulary at this time. But I talk a lot about healing and I want to be clear that when I speak of healing it is not the same way I would use the term cure. Chronic disease means there is no cure. There is no holding on until this gets figured out. This is it.
But in chronic disease I have positively found healing.
Chronic illness teaches us that healing isn’t always about getting better; it often means discovering how to lead a fulfilling life despite persistent symptoms. – @dear_chronic_pain
To me the previous picture illustrates healing. There is no cure for a tree that cracks and topples. But maybe there is life on the branch. Maybe it’s pretty great there. It will not look or feel the same as if you had not lost part of yourself. But what you gain in the process might be phenomenal. Even if it doesn’t feel like it most days.
There is healing in the forest. It may not be a cure. But it is that shimmer of hope just like the sunlight shining through the breaks of a densely wooded area. You have to stay perfectly still and focused to see its constant light. There are times I need the still silence of nature. To remind me that the light is still there even when I can’t see it. It is still lighting my way even if I can’t see the source or the beams or the rays. I find healing in remaining hopeful. I have to stay perfectly still and focused to see the source of that hope. Nature helps me stay still and focused long enough for that hope to penetrate my being. So when I come back to my day I am better able to handle everything that happens.
Which leads me to a new word that IS in my vocabulary as of right now. Respair: (Old English 16 Century) “Fresh hope. Recovery from despair. A renewed outlook.”
Maybe focusing on what we are gaining in the process can help soften those moments when our being is threatening to fall back into despair. Thomas S Monson said, “Good timber does not grow with ease. The stronger the wind, the stronger the trees.” What are you gaining in your process of healing?
Healing isn’t always pretty. Think of a wound that has to drain before it can heal. A gash that needs to be stitched until the body restores. Or a bone that has to be rebroken before it will set properly. Sometimes there is back and forth in healing. Sometimes there is backtracking. Sometimes it’s really ugly. But healing and respair each have a role especially through the mess.
This poem by ullie-kaye speaks volumes more than I can write on the subject.
bare bones
hope is not always soft and lovely.
she is not always cascading rivers
and sunlit skies, dancing, hope knows
there is work to be done. there are
roads to be traveled. turns to be made.
she is bare bones and deep waters.
she is weary and weak. she is barely
a glimmer. she shakes when she speaks.
this is where hope lives, smothered in
sweat. full of war. and on the verge
of crumbling into the sea.
yet there she is, quietly breathing.
Perhaps this is the way. There is no going around it. J.R.R. Tolkein said, “You can only come to the morning through the shadows.”
This life can be challenging for even the bravest and strongest among us. It can help to recognize and give voice to some of the things that are helpful or unhelpful for your journey.
Beware of the things that take your energy. I share some of mine to stir up your thoughts on the subject. My energy takers include focusing on the past, negativity, clutter, inconsistent sleep, and junk food. When you know what is draining you, there is an opportunity to limit the amount of time you are in that type of space. Clean up the clutter (only what you can do). Clean up the sleep schedule (as much as you can). Limit time with people who drain you.
Find things that feed your energy. My energy givers include (but are not limited to) sunlight, whole foods, nature, music, fresh air, visiting a friend, whatever level of movement that is acceptable to my body that day and dancing.
If you are someone that is noticing your body overreacting to normal stimuli on a regular basis or if are consistently overstimulated the following can be a very beneficial practice. Grounding can be used to describe different activities such as taking off your shoes and connecting with the earth. It can also be used to denote a grounded feeling. When you are stuck in a state of intense emotion your body is under strain. Emotionally, mentally and physically. A grounding exercise that I have used to come out of that state is called 5-4-3-2-1. This is how it works. Name 5 things in your immediate vicinity that you can see. Don’t just look at them. Name them. It does not have to be spoken out loud but you need to come up with the name of the item. Towel. Window. Closet door. It doesn’t have to be anything grand. Then name 4 things you could feel, tactically speaking. I feel the breeze from my fan. I feel my socks on my feet. Etc. 3 things you can hear. Cars. My son singing in the next room. My grandson running around upstairs. 2 things you can smell. The farmer sausage my son made. The soap from washing my hands. 1 thing you can taste. The peach tea I am drinking. This will trick your brain into slowing down and stop being hyper focused on the problem. This method has brought me out of a state of fight or flight in the past.
On the flip side of this overstimulated state is something I learned a bit about this week called Yutori. In Japanese it means to slow down. To be intentional. To breathe. Appreciate life and nature. Getting out of the constant grind to relax and reflect. Forest therapy is a perfect way to practice Yutori. In forest bathing we move slowly and intentionally. We breathe deeply. We appreciate nature and take time to relax and reflect. I suggest Yutori, in the form of forest therapy, is one of those things we need to schedule into our lives. The work is never done. If you are waiting to rest until all else in your life is settled, you will find that day never arrives. But regularly scheduled time will increase the likelihood of it happening exponentially.
I feel like my brain is the junk drawer and someone just dumped it on the trampoline. I have done my best, now it is up to you to make sense of it.
I’d love to have you all join me in a forest walk one day. For now you can try it on your own and then reap the benefits of having a guide when you are ready. Reach out to me anytime. Find all the info you need on my contacts page. Take care my friends.
SUNBEAM ACRES 