Tag: chronic pain

Ways to Calm Your Overactive Nervous System: including but not limited to Forest Therapy!

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Here I sit beneath a tree,

Heartbeat calm

Soul hums free.

-Angie Weiland- Crosby

The conversation I am hearing around any table, in any social situation, is a desperate pleading for less stress, calmer nerves, more down time. Any way you put it, people are worn out. The phrase I choose to use in this space, is that we each have a deep need to regulate our nervous system. Which requires less stress and finding a way to calm our nerves.

So how do we go about doing this?

If only it were this easy!

Do A, B and C and your nervous system will be regulated. If only there were a list of instructions. But any of us who suffer from an easily activated system know from experience that once you allow that “jack-in-the-box” out, it is really difficult to squish him back in. Once you have had a breakdown of nerves aka a nervous breakdown it is really difficult to bring them back to normal function.

But! The good news is that it can be done.

There are many good ways to calm a dysregulated immune system. My number one favourite way is forest therapy. In the forest we find peace. We find rest and rejuvenation. It’s not just from the nice scenery.

There are many principles to forest therapy that I can teach to help you find the benefit of the forest when we go on a walk together.

As a forest therapy guide I am trained to lead you to the most valuable use of your precious time by sharing invitations to bring the benefits into your being and to take aspects of the forest home with you to keep that regulated feeling flowing.

I have to admit there are many other ways to regulate an overactive nervous system but I hold to the opinion that forest therapy is best!

Think of anything that brings you calm. We are not talking about ignoring your emotions while binge watching Disney movies and eating copious amounts of junk food. What we seek is the calm that feeds you. When you finish this type of activity, you feel better than when you started.

Some of my other ways to support my nervous system are: fun with family and friends, going to church, helping others, being creative or expressing gratitude.

Then there are the therapies that are also supportive. Red light therapy. Detoxing.

When our nervous system is overactive there is an over abundance of cortisol present. Cortisol is a good hormone in appropriate amounts. But like anything, too much of a good thing is not a good thing.

Cortisol’s acidic nature can cause a breakdown in lymphatic tissue and can lead to the flow of fluid being reduced. Grounding (connecting bare skin to the earth or a grounding mat) can support the breakdown of cortisol and improving lymphatic fluid flow.

Many of us who suffer from chronic conditions have a buildup of lymphatic fluid. A quick tip for this week is to either hum, bounce on a rebounder (you don’t even have to leave the mat, just a small bounce) OR tap your chest with your first three fingertips to clear some of this fluid daily. If there has been buildup you may notice a lot of phlegm in your throat. Nasty, but success!

For everyone, there is a chronic health epidemic regarding our nervous systems and we are all vulnerable, I believe this epidemic is due in part to the attitude we have developed around work, money and our own self worth.

If you look at the terms we use for money you will notice how they can also be used when talking about an individual and how they see themselves. The value of a dollar is nothing compared to the value of each human being. Our net worth can be high and our self worth low.

If we’ve spent years finding our worth in our productivity our nervous systems perceive play and rest as unsafe.

But maybe rest is exactly what we need!

Instead of asking, ‘Have I worked hard enough to deserve rest?’, I’ve started asking, ‘Have I rested enough to do my most loving, meaningful work?’ – Jane Hobbs

Whatever work that may be. Employment. Raising children. Caring for aging parents. Putting our creative work out into the world. A combination of these. Or none of these. For some of us, taking care of our bodies is a full time job because that is the only way out of this powerful cycle of dysregulation.

Brene Brown said, It takes courage to say yes to rest and play in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol.

Relatable?

May I offer a suggestion to choose your rest spot well?

Certain members of my family who shall remain nameless are so good at falling asleep they could make it an Olympic event. It’s a form of art, the noises they can make and how wide the mouth can hang open as they drift further and further into dreamland; it’s quite impressive. Ok I admit I am one of them, but these stories are not about me!

One day after hours of errands, one family member got in the car, leaned the seat back and closed their eyes. Upon waking, through blinking, fuzzy eyesight they saw a man wandering unnervingly close to their car and looking directly at them with eyebrows furrowed.

He was not the only one on the scene as there was a bus stop directly across from Sleeping Beauty and we have surmised our family member must have looked dead. That man waiting for the bus must have gotten quite a shock when the concern that brought him to peer into the windshield, turned to surprise that the dead had awoken.

Another time. Anther family member. This time a truck and a moment to nap on the side of the road that turned to dread upon waking hours, that’s right, plural, hours later to wonder how many friends had witnessed the scene. They’d had plenty of opportunity to drive by over all those hours. Possibly more than once since it was a popular intersection for all that know this nameless family member.

Here’s an approach to shifting that perspective. From exhaustion as a status symbol to doing what is best for us. I hope this sticks more than a mere invitation to get your rest, I offer to you two words of the week. Hurkle Durkle and Ramfeezled.

Ramfeezled: An 18th Century term for wrung out, tired and exhausted. Let’s stand up to the world’s judgment and have a nap before we become ramfeezled. And we will NOT allow exhaustion to be our status symbol. We choose life.

Hurkle- Durkle: A 200- year- old Scottish term meaning to lounge in bed long after it is time to get up. Happiness is Hurkle-Durkling. When your body needs rest, find time and a way to rest. When your energy is depleted find a time to Hurkle- Durkle. It is refreshing to get the amount of sleep one’s body needs.

You know how when you plug your phone in to the cord and leave it all night only to find the other end wasn’t plugged into the wall? It got no charge from being only plugged in on one end.

That is what it can feel like to someone with chronic fatigue/ pain/ illness. The stress on our body to exist can become too much some days. And exhaustion is the reality.

Have you experienced this type of fatigue? Being tired and being fatigued are quite different.

Please be aware of the beings in your world that require extra rest. It can be quite devastating to wake up after hours of sleeping and still be exhausted. Or to have a small window of the day to get things done before the body is showing signs of stress and fatigue.

We all experience moments of fatigue. However, if you are one of those that wakes up fatigued everyday and then goes about their endeavors as best they can like a boss, I see you, I recognize what it costs you, you are not alone.

Never. And I mean Never feel bad about taking a nap or getting a rest when your body needs it.

I invite you to allow the effects of the forest to heal your dysregulated nervous system. It can help bring your cortisol levels under control in a shorter period of time than other ways I’ve tried. Arrange your life to allow time to rest when your body needs to rest. Have you rested enough to do your most loving and meaningful work? Say yes to rest but choose your rest spot wisely! Find time to hurkle- durkle and don’t become ramfeezled. I can show you how.

Join me in the forest. Head to my contacts page to book or to make inquiries. Take care of yourselves.

Respair: Healing Hope for those with Chronic Illness

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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.

Photo by Artem Saranin on Pexels.com

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.

Finding Joy Amid Chronic Illness: The Role of Glimmers

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Doctor: You need to learn to listen to your body.

Me: Oh we’re not on speaking terms.

Has anyone else felt this way? As with so many things, my remedy for this circumstance is to get into the forest. Especially these beautiful fall days. Even still, some days all I can do is seek dopamine squirts.

Wait, what is squirting?!? Allow me to clarify.

What is dopamine? It is a chemical messenger made in the brain to communicate between nerves and cells in your brain and between your brain and the rest of your body. Dopamine also acts as a hormone. It is known as the “feel- good” hormone.

When do I need dopamine? It is mainly involved in movement, memory, behaviour and cognition, attention, sleep and arousal, mood and learning. It also plays a small role in the fight or flight response. While it has many functions we will focus on it’s ability to give one a sense of pleasure.

Why are dopamine hits so supportive to a chronic pain sufferer? When pain is the central focus of the day, anything that produces a feel- good effect is significant.

As a side note, if anyone wonders whether you can just focus on something else, this isn’t always an option, let alone prudent. In my case, I need to keep track. Where is the pain, what needs to be loosened, will this activity produce more pain later, is there anything I should do to treat the pain, am I in too much pain and need to cancel plans ,,,again, etc.

These and many more thoughts related to my pain guide my plans for the day and for my life. When these are the constant and distressing thoughts, a squirt of something that makes me feel good is a welcome shift.

How do I feel when I have a dopamine squirt? Happy, motivated, alert, focused.

Living with chronic illness requires an intricate balance between ignoring your symptoms so you can live and listening to your body to survive. – @chelseahealinghappily

May I propose a way of living that I find softens the days. I suggest it for everyone but particularly those living with chronic pain. See if you can follow my train of thought as you view these images.

These photos stood out to me this week. They spoke to my need to feel joy by thinking young, acting young. and finding others to be young alongside. Ride the bikes. Make a pig nose on the window. Find a jump rope. Lay in the grass. Be the joy.

And on the days when these and other activities are not an option, rest. There is more than one way to rest. Sleep is important and so is feeling peace. Can you sense what peace would feel like if you let go and decided right now to live in joy and love? To follow the examples of those set in the photos above? It Will Bring You Rest.

We have all heard of triggers. We all know some of our triggers and are surprised when new ones pop up. Triggers are something or someone to avoid. Triggers generally mean there is something big going on internally that we may not have an understanding of where it came from or how to deal with it. We are left unsure of how to meet our needs. Here are some of my triggers:

Body: need to lie down (gr)

Anxiety: but we have so much to do (welp)

Depression: let’s just sleep forever (ugh)

Insomnia: lol, good luck (noooo)

Pain: *kicks in door* SUP GUYS! (we meet again)

Triggers are inconvenient to say the least. But have you heard of Glimmers? They are the opposite of a trigger. These are small moments of beauty and joy that help to regulate our nervous systems. They cue safety. They instill peace and evoke joy. They improve mood and mental health. Over time they build nervous system resilience. Each day brings the opportunity for hundreds of glimmers. Are you noticing them? Noticing these moments will add up over time and can become part of your healing practice. Become a glimmer- seeker.

A fabulous place to find glimmers is in the forest. Join me for a forest walk. Reach out to me on my contacts page. If you are enjoying the blog hit subscribe so you never miss a post and so others that may need it can find it. I appreciate all the love and all the sharing.

In the entire circle of the year there are no days so delightful as those of a fine October.

Get out and enjoy the colours and the changes of fall. Enjoy getting in touch with your younger self this week!

Nature Walks: Embrace Change and Find Peace

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Simplicity is the beauty of nature and silence is its fragrance. – Nitin Namdeo

When on a forest therapy walk we don’t teach or study the names of plants and flowers and trees. We don’t need to worry about anything so focused when experiencing nature. But it is interesting to note some of the plants and wildlife we are surrounded by every so often.

Following are a list of the fall flowers of Saskatchewan natural grasslands. Have you seen these or anything else on your forest walks? Let me know in the comments.

Owl’s Clover

Showy Sunflower

Brown eyed Susan

Prairie Sage

Canada Goldenrod

Common Broomweed

White Prairie Aster

Dotted Blazing Star

Tufted Fleabane

Join me in taking the time now to become familiar with plants and wildlife so when we are on the trail it can be a passing thought that connects us but not to the point that we need our phone out to ask Siri. Learn some this year and some next.

The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let things go. – Unknown

What can you learn from nature as it shows us the beauty of change and letting go?

Living with chronic illness/ pain/ fatigue requires change in us. A change in perspective and a change in plans. A change in friends and purpose. When we block that change we can create more difficulties and pain. When we yield to changes that need to be made we are like the fall tree shedding its leaves. Nothing has gone wrong. This is the next step. The thought of a tree holding its leaves in a death grip with the season is ridiculous. Is our holding on any less so?

The changes we need to make can be devastating and forever change who we are. Yet there is beauty in the change. When you looked into the weather worn skin of your mom or grandma, did you see wrinkles that needed to be smoothed? Or did you see the life they have lived in those lines? Laugh lines. Perplexed lines. Worry lines. Cry lines. All the lines of a life well lived.

I remember my grandma’s big crooked knuckles. I didn’t ever think they needed to be straight and small. They were part of her hands. They worked hard washing dishes, making pies, and keeping a clean house. They read books to me. They gave me treats for the horses. They taught me how to peel an apple. Those hands played the piano like nobody’s business. Those hands were perfect to me.

What changes are taking place in your life that may appear ugly to you but are actually just knuckles getting crooked or wrinkles being set? Is it possible that those changes appear to others like the changing of the fall leaves? Marvelous. Brilliant. Timely. Radiant.

Living a life with chronic disease requires something from a person. A bending of the will. Being taken from a healthy version of one’s self and changing to a version that may be difficult to understand. To navigate. To love.

I find when I bend to the discomfort and the disappointments and the disasters left in my wake as I just have to lay down, I am better able to see the beauty of the changes. I see what my family has learned in my “absence”. I have a better perspective of the big picture and I don’t get so focused on the details. I can be grateful for all the good.

Time spent forest bathing increases my capacity to see the good. There is so much of it out there. Enjoy your forest walks and if you need help to take it all in, let me know. Reach out to me on my contacts page.

I love crowds. Of trees.

Step-by-Step: Healing Through Forest Walking

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I shall take my tea with the birds, the trees and the bumbling bees. – Amelia Dashwood

If you’d like to sign up for a guided forest walk with me, head over to my contacts page and we can connect. Alternatively, if you would like to know everything you need for your own beginner forest walk, just keep reading.

A step- by- step guide in how to take charge of damaging inflammation in your body. How to forest walk…

  • Decide where you will go for your forest walk. You do not need to travel to an ancient forest in Japan. Any green space will do. The closer to a forest/ treed area, the better. If you are going alone, make sure someone knows where you will be and when to expect you back. Check the weather but make sure you still go on your forest walk in the rain or the snow. Just be careful not to walk into the path of oncoming tornadoes, etc. Use your best judgement.
  • Unplug. If you would like to carry a device for emergency purposes you can place your phone on airplane mode for the duration of the walk. Any technical devices will interfere with the feeling you are trying to generate. Some people are sensitive to the energy emitted by such devices and it is nice for the body to have a break. This is the perfect opportunity. Unplugging will help you focus on the task at hand.
  • Before you start your walk take a few deep breaths and picture letting go of all your worries and discomforts.
  • It seems like an odd step to put in any type of instructions but next you should- wander. Just be. See what feels right. Don’t have a definite plan but prepare to be elated as you experience it fully in the moment.
  • Engage your senses. Your five senses are powerful and help you connect and ground yourself to the here and now. Notice what you are seeing. What different textures can you feel? Notice the sounds close by and the ones farther away. You don’t have to put a name to things. Just notice them and let them fade. What scents do you notice? Many forest bathers will prepare a tea made from foraged plants from their walk to incorporate taste and to host a ceremony with the forest as the guest of honor. Be careful to only use safe and edible plants for your tea. If you are unsure, please skip this option.
  • You do not need to wander far into your area. Find a comfortable sit spot. A place where you can more fully engage your five senses and search out more. Our sixth sense, able to sense something outside the scope of the five senses, was made popular with the movie of the same name. Vestibular (balance). Proprioception (sensing your body in space). Bring your mind and body into the here and now with breathing as you sit. Notice clouds, wildlife, patterns, light changes. Enjoy it all!
  • At the end of your walk take time for reflection and gratitude. Reflect on what you took in. Recognize the gift of nature. Show your gratitude and appreciation for what the forest was willing to share with you.

While we are discussing what to do on a forest walk, let’s also take a moment to talk about what a forest bath is not. Here are some myth busters to clear up some of the misconceptions out there.

Myth buster #1: Forest bathing is NOT having a bath in the woods!!! It is immersing yourself and all your senses in the atmosphere of the forest. No immersing in water. And we will all remain fully clothed at all times!

Nope
That’s more like it

Myth buster #2: Forest bathing is NOT going for a hike. It does not have to be far or arduous. Leave your hiking shoes at home.

Myth buster #3: Forest bathing guides are NOT witches. We are not trying to get you to join a cult or do anything nonsensical. We have optimized how to go into the forest for healing. Studies to prove its authenticity exist. My proof is in my own journey. I could not move forward. I was stuck in the same pain- filled cycle for years with no improvement. Now I can see my life changing for the better. While my condition is chronic and will never be healed, the symptoms and side effects are manageable when I use the benefits of forest bathing.

Myth buster #4: Forest bathing is NOT exclusively for the ‘outdoors’ type. All human beings will benefit from any time spent in nature. The more time, the better (an hour once a month is a good start). The more “green”, the better (any space you can get your feet on the earth counts, work towards finding secret forests in your area). Going with a guide will up- level your experience (but there are benefits to any and all attempts).

Myth buster #5: Forest bathing is NOT the same as formal therapy. I do not want to misrepresent what I am trained for in any way. Guides are not trained counsellors or therapists. I am not an expert in mental health diagnoses. We will not be working through past issues. We are staying in the present. My expertise as a guide is in dealing with normal, healthy human brains. Guides should view the forest as the therapists and themselves only as facilitators within the framework. Helping you to have your best possible life.

Here are some photos from my most recent forest walk.

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The summer has been splendid, but it has lasted long enough. This morning, I viewed the falling leaves with cheerfulness. -A. A. Milne

Take care my friends. Enjoy stepping into fall on your next forest walks.

5 Rookie Mistakes to Avoid in Forest Bathing

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When it comes to chronic pain management there is no wrong way. Whatever way works for you is the right way.

My answer to chronic pain management is forest bathing.

How lovely the silence of growing things.

The forest has been my tutor in recent months and I have learned a few things since becoming a certified forest therapy guide. Below are my top five rookie mistakes to avoid in forest bathing:

  1. Going in with a plan. We want to be safe and plan ahead for animals or insects in the area. If we are going alone we let someone know where we are going and when we plan to return. Those types of plans are best, safe practices. But what we don’t want to plan is the outcome of our forest walk. We go into our forest or urban forest space with an intention to come through with an improved physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance. There is no agenda and the forest is the guide.
  2. Rushing. Each forest walk is an opportunity to slow down the pace of life. How can that be accomplished unless the pace of the walk is at the pace of the forest? I used to walk so fast around the grocery store my husband thought I was running away from him. He would chase me with the cart careening around corners. That is not the pace we want to set on our forest walk. It takes practice to slow down. On your next forest walk, slow down enough that you feel all the rushing drain out of you.
  3. Long distance. While going for a longer walk is usually considered more beneficial for your overall health, in this case we want to regard less as more. This is not a cardio workout for length or speed. The length of the walk can vary based on needs and abilities. But for all those doing their own forest walks, instead of using your time to walk deeper and deeper into the forest, take time to find a sit spot. Stop and notice what is happening around you instead of trying to cover the maximum amount of ground.
  4. Closed senses. A primary focus of forest walks is to recognize what is happening around you in the moment. The sound of a bird and the wind in the trees. The feel of a leaf or of your bare feet touching the ground. The smell of the trees and wildflowers. The shape of the clouds or how the grass dances in the wind. Close your eyes and recognize the feel of your body in this wide open space. Notice the temperature of the air and how it cools your skin while the sun warms it. Use your five senses and then some, to connect to your outer world.
  5. Missing connection and engagement with the forest. Another solid aim of forest bathing is to connect with the forest. Engage your senses. Breathe it in. Can you internalize the feelings that are present? Can you bottle up this feeling and take it home? If you engage and connect with your surroundings, you are achieving another level of calm that you and the forest can embark on together. If you regularly take time to forest bathe you will find that calm easier to access and longer lasting. You really will be able to bottle it up and take it home with you like fireflies in a mason jar.

All of us are rookies in some way. What mistakes have you made on your forest walks? Any entertaining stories that anyone wants to share in the comments?

After 12 years of chronic pain you would think I would learn. I still make the rookie mistake of thinking I’m all better. The cycle is real. I start to feel good. I do too much because the to-do list has been getting longer and longer. The pain and exhaustion kick in. I remember my body is having technical difficulties. I step back and try to do less. I start to feel better. I think I’m all better. I do too much. And round and round we go.

As I hurried through a store today past a man with a cane I thought of how grateful I am to be able to be out and doing anything let alone hurrying about it. There was a time not long ago that pain and exhaustion kept me in a pile on my bed more often than not throughout the day. Getting dressed was monumental. Showering was out of the question. In the past I have felt the weight of those days pressing in on me. I felt real fear of being stuck in a pain cycle. Out of control. Now, instead, I try to enjoy what I am able to do now and always make an effort to protect and strengthen my body. But with this condition I will have to be vigilant. There is always the possibility of unmanaged pain around the corner.

How does one cope with this reality?

I am in my 40s and my boys are all finished their teenage years. I am in the time of looking back. Reflecting. I kept thinking this week of the time we were preparing for a snowboarding excursion. All three boys got their own snowboards for Christmas and we were going for our first family trip of the season. I looked ahead to see the weather was going to be pretty chilly. So I purchased long johns for the boys to wear under their gear, hoping that would make it a more enjoyable and less frosty experience.

Like most things, I waited till the last minute and we were all hurrying to prepare for our trip the next day. Everyone was grouchy and tired. There was yelling and frantic looking for everything. In the midst of the chaos I handed over the long johns for everyone to make sure they fit. I left to pack a bag in another room. When I returned to the kitchen to check sizing, I found my recently crabby boys doing their version of ballet. One of them had decided the long johns made them look like ballerinas. The rest followed suit. And the dance ensued. My brusque attitude melted away as I watched them plie, arabesque and attempt jetes around my kitchen.

Whether you are a chronic pain sufferer or if you support someone who is, joy can come from the most mundane things. When I am in a pain cycle that seems never ending it can be hard to find joy. I am trying to find joy in the long johns. The boys doing ballet in the kitchen. In the doing too much. Again. In the memories of days gone by. In the words that don’t come out right. Confound this brain fog! (last night I told my husband the mool looked coon. what!?! the moon looks cool *shakes fist*) Count it all as joy. Spending time in the forest can open you up to those feelings of acceptance and gratitude for what is.

If you’d like to avoid the rookie mistakes and get the most out of your forest walk, book with me and I can show you the way or if you have any questions reach out to me on my contact page. Take care my friends.

Top 10 Inappropriate Things to Say to Someone with Chronic Pain

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I have been doing research and reading on chronic pain as it relates to forest therapy. As I’ve done so I have come to the conclusion that I am not the only one to have struggled in the past with things people say that, while well meaning (in most cases) can come off as offensive to someone struggling to just get through a day.

So in honour of those who need support, not to be treated as a suggestion box, here is my top ten list of inappropriate things to say to a person with chronic pain.

#1 Oh ya I have _______ too.

For me it’s sore muscles. Other people get sore muscles too. I don’t want to take that away from anyone. Pain is pain. But when I’m talking about my muscles not doing what they need to do it is despite all of my effort over years. It is a different story than someone who has a sore back because they slept on it wrong or need to go to the chiropractor. There is an answer for the where and why of their pain. And hopefully a treatment option. If not, you are welcome to join team Don’t Tell Me You Have It Too. For those searching for the right way to converse, think of waking up everyday for the rest of your life in pain. Then enter the conversation with humility and grace instead of comparison and minimizing what we are going through.

#2 You’re too young to be dealing with ______

And yet here we are. So do you not believe me, or…? I agree. I am not the age of someone who should be struggling with physical technical difficulties. And yet this is the body I have and I have taken really good care of it. And it’s letting me down. Please support me by recognizing that it is happening despite the odds and help me find ways to endure and enjoy life.

#3 You don’t look sick.

While that seems like a good thing it can be really difficult to navigate a day while in pain and nobody knows. Picture going to the grocery store with a broken arm but there’s no cast on it. It looks fine. By all appearances one should be able to handle a trip to the store. And yet the pain you are experiencing is almost unbearable at times. I have had to sit in the middle of a store because my back was telling me it was done by tweaking and spasms. I’ve stood in a line up to get my prescription filled and almost thrown up in pain. A more empathic response to someone sharing their pain with you is to be curious. Ask supportive questions instead of making a statement of fact that is hard to handle on a day to day basis.

#4 Have you tried _______?

Yes. The answer is yes. Someone that has struggled with their health for any amount of time has tried that. If there is a reason they are not willing to try ______ it’s time to back off and listen. They know their body. They know their history. They know what a setback from trying a suggestion looks like. For a more enjoyable conversation for us both, let’s keep our suggestions to ourselves unless they are requested. Assume I am doing the very best I can and that I will be guided to what is right for me. The odd suggestion is acceptable as long as there will be no argument over whether I should try it or not. That is my call to make, end of story.

#5 I know someone who had that and they just had to _______ and now they’re better

I am super happy for them. Many autoimmune and nerve issues will affect people extraordinarily different. How it manifests in your distant relative that just had to drink a concoction everyday is not the same way it manifests in me. Nor will it be “fixed” in the same way. My condition is chronic. That means it will still be here tomorrow even if I drink Great Aunt Margaret’s concoction. If you think you know someone with the same thing don’t tell me how they got better and so can I. Listen to my struggle and empathize. Don’t try to manage my disease, that’s my job.

#6 You seemed fine yesterday.

And for that I am paying dearly today. The way my body works is that it will not give me any signals when I need to stop an activity. It will carry on and the next day I will wish I were dead. I am willing to make a sacrifice of paying dearly for the right things. I choose carefully. Time with my grandson. Time spent with friends. Time in nature. I never know what will push me over my limits but if it is for the right reason I am willing to sacrifice. To put aside my health for tomorrow so I can play today is important to me. Instead of questioning my story thank me for the time I am spending with you and appreciate that it might mean I am in bed for the day tomorrow.

#7 Must be nice to stay home and not work

Nope! Big hard nope on that one. Most people with chronic pain have a desire to be out in the world. Working on career or family. I am grateful my family raising is pretty well over. It would be terribly difficult to do this with little kids. I was just starting a career as a piano teacher with enough students to be almost full time when my body started giving out on me. Our lives were going the direction we had been planning and working for all of our married lives. And then it all came to a crashing halt. Plans had to change. Not in the direction we would have chosen. So while I am home and resting I am thinking of all the jobs I would have liked to try. And how much easier it would be to have a two income household instead of one. I feel guilty for the money that goes to my health and wellness. I think most chronic pain sufferers would agree that having the choice to work taken away is not fun in any way. Just avoid this one altogether.

#8 Why are you on so many medications? They are so bad for you!

It has been hell trying to find the correct meds and dosage without side effects that make them not worth it. I am also learning how the stress of being in pain takes its toll on a person physically and mentally. One cannot just grit their teeth and bear it without a cost. Medication is a very personal choice. It is a long and hard road to get what you need. It is hard to be on a controlled substance. I have been questioned about over medicating until the pharmacy realized it was a mistake on their end not mine. It is hard to be on the verge of running out and too tired and in too much pain to make the appointment, go to the appointment, and get the meds. Please don’t question my choice because you have not travelled the road I have travelled. I hope to not need medication someday. But today it is saving me. That means they are bad for you! But not for me.

#9 You’re still dealing with that?

Yes. I have been dealing with it for over a decade. If I get better I will be shouting it from the rooftops and you will know. Until then assume that my chronic condition is still being chronic-y. I have heard our brains want everything to be resolved. We want there to be an answer for everything. For all problems to conclude. But that is seldom the case. Recognize that when you are uncomfortable with me still being “sick”, it is your brain wanting things to resolve. I would like it to resolve even more than you. So being reminded that things are still wrong isn’t helpful. Instead ask me how things are progressing or if there have been any new developments. There are always changes, sometimes positive.

(and speaking of being positive) #10 Inappropriate thing to say to someone with chronic pain: Just stay positive

My life got to a very dark and negative place. If someone had approached me at that time and told me to stay positive I would have slugged them. I know that staying positive has it’s place in healing. Yet there is also healing in the struggle and in feeling all the feelings that come with it. There is a time for feeling hurt at being misunderstood and for feeling too tired to do this anymore. As long as you just visit that neighbourhood and don’t move in. Feel the negative parts. And then return to the light of hope. Hope for good days. Hope for understanding doctors and team members. Hope taking us to joy in this journey.

It can be really hard to be a support person or friend to someone who is struggling with chronic illness/ pain. You likely have your own list of phrases you don’t like to hear. I don’t expect everyone to walk on eggshells when it comes to talking to me. I fully expect to hear these in the future and I will do my best to recognize where you are coming from. But for those who know someone with chronic pain, maybe this will benefit you in some way. And if you are a chronic pain sufferer, maybe this puts into words why some phrases can be hurtful even when they are presented as showing concern.

This is anything but a comprehensive list. What would you add?

While my condition is chronic, the symptoms are suspended and alleviated in the forest. I can search into my body to know what it needs and how to respond to those needs. I can connect to the earth and it’s rich aromas and textures and melodies. I can let go of any of these phrases I may have heard recently because when I am in harmony with nature I feel more in harmony with myself. Head over to my contact page to book a forest therapy walk or if you have any questions for me.

Take care my friends.

Nature’s Role in Reducing Inflammation and Stress

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“Our bodies are remarkable self healing organisms when in a balanced state. It’s worth wondering if the forest should be our primary physician with our doctors in support roles to be called upon in the rare instances they are needed,” Amos Clifford says in his book, Your Guide to Forest Bathing: Experience the Healing Power of Nature.

This does not mean I think everyone should stop seeing their doctors and practitioners. There is a place for medicine. Especially if that is what your body requires for balance at this time. If you can get to a state of balance, maybe then your primary physician can be the forest. I love the idea.

Would you say your body is in a balanced state and able to perform its remarkable work of self healing? If so, count yourself blessed. Many people are not able to achieve this level of balance due to trauma, stress or illness.

I count myself among those who are struggling to achieve a balanced state despite great efforts. For years instead of looking for optimal health I was metaphorically rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic as it was sinking. Navigating medical systems and the incredible stress that can cause in and of itself can keep a chronic pain sufferer stuck in a never ending cycle of unsolved problems.

In modern life we have been bombarded with constant stimuli and stressors. This causes our prefrontal cortexes to get stuck in fight or flight. This is the center that controls the release of adrenaline. When in this mode we cannot enter rest and digest. Causing many of us to suffer from chronically high levels of cortisol in our bloodstream. INFLAMMATION.

Based on ideas presented in the book Earthing, written by Clint Ober, living disconnected from the earth can cause us to be vulnerable and more prone to physical dysfunction. We seem plagued by inflammation related disease and accelerated aging in this day of modern science and technology. Ober suggests our disconnection to the earth and the effects this is clearly having on our health can be compared to a lightbulb with a loose connection. It flickers. It shines weakly. Or it may not light up at all. Would you count yourself among those with flickering, weak, or absent health?

Amos Clifford also states, “When the forest has allowed its place within you it supports your body’s natural capacity for wellness and healing.”

So while our bodies have the ability to self heal, they can only do so when in a balanced state. Inflammation resists this balance. Inflammation must do its job and then subside. When chronic inflammation is present, cortisol enters the bloodstream on a regular basis exacerbating the inflammation.

My own experience with the health care industry has not been a pleasant one. Each frustrating appointment and physical setback had me arranging and rearranging those useless deck chairs as the overall health of my body was sinking.

While inflammation is the fire. There may also be present, smoke from the flames on your sinking vessel in the form of anxiety and depression. Is this another present form of inflammation for you? An emotional and mental one. More deck chairs to rearrange!

When you are overly stressed your body is making more of that beautiful hormone, cortisol. But when you are in the forest, your body releases less of this inflammation inducing hormone. This can start to help with health problems related to inflammation including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, heart disease and high blood pressure, as well as memory and concentration problems.

Not all stress is bad. And cortisol has it’s place and functions. Having the right level of cortisol can help to regulate your body’s stress response. ‘Stress’ is in the work and in the recovery process.

Did you ever stop to think how our bodies probably can’t differentiate between different stressors. It can’t see that’s relationship stress. That’s job stress. That’s gym stress. Our body just sees stress on the body. And each body has an ability to be able to function within a certain threshold. But when we cross that threshold, our body’s ability to recover is limited.

Our body needs time to recover. In every way. For each type of stress. If we are going back to the gym before we are recovered we’re actually getting weaker every time. Your body will reach its limit. If you go from stress to more stress you will become weaker with every step.

Researchers found cortisol decreased by 16% in those who went for a forest walk as compared to those who walked in a lab for the same amount of time. Do you need ways to decrease your cortisol? Join me on a forest walk. Head over to my contact page and send me a message to start the process.

The Association of Nature & Forest Therapy Guides & Programs has on its website this promise: Spending time in the forest can help with stress, which can cause all sorts of health problems.

Another book I have on the go right now is The Nature Fix by Florence Williams. She states that the recommended dose of nature we need as humans is at least 5 hours a month. These hours must be spent IN nature and not just passing through. Do need help getting your recommended dose?

While it is not on the DSM-5 (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) those who have heard of nature- deficit disorder agree there is a rising issue in our society and it maybe should be added. More on this in future posts.

The answer seems small and simple. Almost too easy to be true. Inflammation is hard on our bodies. Time spent in nature reduces inflammation. Spend more time in nature. There I’ve said it.

Lord Byron said, “There is pleasure in the pathless woods. There is rapture in the lonely shore. There is society where none intrudes. By the deep sea and music in its roar. I love not man the less, but nature more.”

Enjoy the small and simple things of life and find pleasure in nature that is hard to find anywhere in our modern lives. Step out into the world where ease and pleasure abound.

Take care my sweet friends.

Practicing Wise Spending: Strategies for Chronic Pain Sufferers

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Are you comfortable with how you spend your money? Are you happy with how you spend your time? Do you spend a healthy amount of energy on others? These are the questions I will be exploring today.

Before I go on I would like to add that often the support person of a chronic pain sufferer will be more able to care for themselves and consequently their loved one if they use these tips and tools as well. To this group, I see you, I appreciate you. Your emotional and mental pain is often sharp and silent since it is not the priority. I am thinking of someone in particular that I saw recently. I hope she knows how highly I think of her.

When you think of spending your time, money and energy I want you to picture each increment as a token. It is easy to visualize with money since this is literally the way we spend our cash. Each dollar is represented by a loonie (in Canada, don’t laugh, we know it’s ridiculous) and we get to choose how we spend each dollar. For the purpose of this blog post I want you to picture each increment of time of 15 minutes represented by one token. And to take this a step further let’s also add each increment of energy we expend as one token. How to measure the value of this token is going to be different for each person. We will discuss this later in the post.

First, money. We don’t need to take a lot of time here as this one is obvious to visualize. But let’s use it for the purpose of this illustration. You make money. You budget what will go where. It is difficult to come up with more in an emergency, hopefully you have savings to back you up. You plan ahead so you don’t get to the end of the pay cheque before you get to the end of a pay period. Finish reading the post for clarification, then come back to answer this question, What other comparisons do you see between spending our money and our time/ energy as though they could be represented by a physical token? Leave a message in the comments.

Now let’s look at how we spend our time. Do you plan your day, your week, your month, etc? Many of us use a rough outline. Often the same outline we have been using for a while. Then we adjust as the day goes. Not a bad way.

Does it help you plan your day at all to know there are so many tokens that you start the day with. Say you are someone that is able to get 8 hours of sleep. That leaves you with 64 tokens of 15 minute increments. Be reasonable with your tokens. If you plan for things to take 1 token and they take 4, that is a stressful 3 tokens! 64 tokens might sound like a lot but once you factor in an 8 hr work day, that takes 32 tokens and you only have 32 left!

Time and energy often go hand in hand but I want to take a look at our energy in terms of tokens. How many energy tokens do you start the day with? Someone with chronic pain often has less tokens. That’s just how it is.

Someone with chronic fatigue definitely has less time tokens at the start of day.

Many months ago I saw a TikTok that spoke to me. I looked for it to verify the details but I couldn’t find it. Based on what I can recall, in the video, a man sat with his bowl of cheerios. In attempting to eat the bowl of cheerios with a spoon the task was easy peasy. But, he asked, what if he had to eat the cheerios with a fork? Yes maybe you could but it would take longer and you wouldn’t get the milk.

If memory serves me right, he was trying to make the point that we do not all have the same utensils when we wake up in the morning to eat our cheerios. You could even end up with only a toothpick to eat your cheerios. You can still accomplish the task at hand but with great difficulty. Someone with chronic pain, especially silent and invisible chronic pain, will eat those cheerios. At great expense. And not a soul will know the cost. And then the question from the video that really stuck with me, Is it even worth the cost?

As a chronic pain sufferer I realize that I wake up with less time tokens because I need extra sleep and I also have less energy tokens despite that extra sleep. Many of my energy tokens are eaten up with pain management.

My energy tokens are worth a greater increment. Not because I’m special, let me give a couple of examples. When I shovel snow or go bowling, my vertebrae will twist out in a subluxation. That has been proven time and again. Any twisting motion will be too much for my loose ligaments and tendons to hold me together. I will undoubtedly twist too far or too many times and the vertebrae will get stuck out of place.

So when I spend an increment of my energy on that task or activity I will need to include in that expense the time it would take to recuperate, plus the time, cost and energy to visit physio to fix the problem, plus the time and energy to make up for the lost muscle strength while I could hardly move. That’s a tall order for a lousy game of bowling.

It’s also true, hopefully for each of us, that we have carved out of our lives the time for self care. In whatever form that may take. For you it may be a trip to the massage therapist while for me it may be grounding in my backyard. For all of us we can find self care in the forest. I saw this idea online that the best rest we can get is in the forest because it is For Rest. Add one R and a space to the word and the place (FOREST) becomes the means (FOR REST).

That cute little wanderer in the pose of a Big Foot sighting is my grandson

Chronic pain sufferers such as myself may feel a stab of guilt on a moment to moment basis that we have this time to rest and stabilize. Lay that guilt aside my friends and decide the type of rest that is right for you this week.

PHYSICAL REST- napping, deep breathing, and also going for a walk or stretching all provide a physical type of rest. Is your physical body crying out for these or others?

EMOTIONAL REST- journal, any self care that is meaningful and restful for you, talking to a friend. manage time with those that are expensive emotionally for you and seek support. Do you have anyone that is emotionally expensive in your life right now?

MENTAL REST- scheduling breaks throughout busy parts of your day, meditation. When and where do you get your mental reset?

SPIRITUAL REST- prayer, reading scripture, devotionals. This looks different for everyone and that is perfect!

SOCIAL REST- assess your relationships and spend your social time wisely, balance alone time and social time according to your needs. Are you being pulled into saying yes when you should say no?

CREATIVE REST- play an instrument, write a story, sing a song. What type of creative play strikes a chord in your heart?

SENSORY REST- digitally unplug, go ground outside in the grass, turn off your phone notifications, turn off the noise and distractions. What needs to be turned off or unplugged for you to get this type of rest?

Be careful how you spend your time and energy the way you are cognizant of spending your money. You have a limited amount of time and energy to spend every morning, the way you have limited finances to spend. Plan ahead. Budget wisely. It is (at least in my mind) impossible to come up with more energy in an emergency. When you hit a wall and then you get a flat tire and there is no cell service, what are your options? My lesson learned is to not run myself to the bottom of the tank, this way in an emergency I can rise to the challenge without trying to change a tire with only a toothpick for tools.

While there may not be an instant way to fill those reserve tanks there is a way to make more energy to fill up our reserve tanks. For even the most ill among us. How, you may ask? Time spent in forest therapy. It is healing and therapeutic in a way that nothing else could do for my pain. If you’d like to join me in the forest and see what it can do for you, head over to my contacts page to book a session.

It can be easy to put yourself in a category of less- than as a chronic pain sufferer. But this poem I read spoke to some of the feelings I have as I keep reaching and trying to get through another day. (Today was a hard one)

The poem is called Stretching, by Nancy Sorenson. No one promised this would be easy. Change is never easy but then, neither is reaching for a star. But, too much change at once makes the stretch marks gaping holes, through which the world can see my tears and even the hurt, sometimes. When I am done with this change, I wonder if I will be taller from all this stretching.

Now read it again and substitute the word ‘change’ with ‘chronic pain’.

Be gentle with yourself my fellow chronic pain sufferers. Be mindful with your time and energy tokens. They are precious. We cannot be expected to treat them the way non sufferers do. The forest is for rest. Especially for us. Use it often. Find the type of rest that speaks to you this week and include it in your schedule. Do not run your tank dry in case of emergency and spend time in the forest to boost those reserves.

Take care my friends.

Overcoming Chronic Dis-ease in Modern Life

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I attended a family reunion this weekend. What a wonderful and terribly stressful event those are! It was lovely.

I looked around at my mom, her siblings and cousins and all their spouses. They are in or around their 70s. Many of them are starting to have symptoms of old age or chronic conditions. Their grandparents before them lived to ripe old ages of 98 and 94. Their parents lived to reasonably old ages. And they are dealing with chronic health issues in their 70s. And even more concerning is that their children are also starting to deal with different but serious health conditions in their 40s.

What is happening? I would like to see your thoughts. Feel free to comment.

Here is my theory. Our world has changed drastically in the last few generations. The food we put in our bodies is further from the earth and more processed. The information we receive is constant and confusing. The effort it takes to be physically active can be too demanding after an already full day and exercise is less of a priority. I have already mentioned the distance we have put between ourselves and the earth, the lack of grounding we experience. And stress. I feel we have been hoodwinked into thinking this modern life is so much better than days gone by.

My number one caution to those who have not yet started experiencing those effects of this world is to lower your stress level!!!

I suggest this to my family and friends in their 20s and 30s and they scoff. If only we could! No seriously, do everything you can to lower your stress levels. Every person can find something that works for them. It is not about pretending things are ok or getting rid of our children who are the cause of the stress. The answer is to find coping strategies that work for you.

Maybe that’s hiding in the bathroom and doing breathing exercises for 30 seconds every few hours. Maybe you have a monthly date with a massage therapist. Maybe you have a time of the week that is just yours and you can go for a walk in nature! The options are endless.

Don’t scoff and picture your life getting calmer when your children are older. I noticed something at this family reunion of 60-some people. Most of them from one set of (my generation’s) grandparents.

I had children when I was young. I was so busy with my three boys for what seemed an eternity, And then they grew up and I relaxed as I watched my siblings and cousins struggle with their babies and toddlers. And I laughed and laughed and laughed.

Now I see them sitting and relaxing with their young teens and young adults and I am running around after a grandchild. And I see my older cousins that are also at this stage who have had time to relax and watch and laugh and now they are running around helping with their grand littles too. It all goes around.

I see the changing of the guard. My generation is starting to care for the older generation in small and simple ways, It all goes around. There are times of hard and times of growth. I see the importance of it all.

How do we find a way to bring that stress level down in all stages of life? Maybe you can’t get it to base level when you are raising your babies. But you can likely bring it down from wherever it now resides.

I don’t have the answers but I do want to start the conversation. Is our generation the one to say, things need to change? How do they need to change? Do we adopt a Mediterranean lifestyle? It seems to work for them!

What can we adjust in our individual lives and as a community that will stop the progression of dis-ease that is happening to us and those we love? Dis-ease if you divide the word like so, is the hard truth. Many of us experience chronic physical, mental, emotional dis ease. We are never at ease. But constantly and drainingly the opposite. This can’t be the only way!

It might take something unheard of. Something that seems too hard. IMHO there are so many broken systems. Which ones need fixing so that our kids and grandkids don’t have it worse? Which ones are in your sphere of action? Will generations after be able to look back and see this moment when the tides shifted in their favour because of what we were willing to do. But what is it? What will shift us from dis- ease to a life- not one that is easy but one where you can be at ease while you deal with the vicissitudes of life.

In the book, The Healing Magic of Forest Bathing, author, Julia Plevin says, “As a society, Americans have reached the impacts of being disconnected from nature and are suffering as a result. Chronic illness including cancer, depression, anxiety, exhaustion, and ADD are widespread and on the rise, These issues affect adults and children alike.”

So what should we do about it? I am open to suggestion. One thing that resonates with me is to get back in touch with the earth and what she has to offer. In any way and every day that you can.

Dr Qing Lee, the world’s foremost expert in forest medicine, wrote in his book The Japanese Art and Science of Shinrin- Yoku: Forest Bathing, “Forest medicine is a new medical science that could let you know how to be more active. More relaxed. And healthier with reduced stress and reduced risk of life style related disease and cancer by visiting forests”.

I don’t think forests hold all the answers for how to live in this world. But I know that being in the forest clears out the cobwebs and I can focus again on the needs of my day. If you’d like to experience what forest bathing has to offer, head over to my contact page and let me know how I can help.

Take care of each other out there my sweet friends.