Before you dust off your hiking boots or head to the garden centre to buy compost, it’s a good idea to pause and take some time to think about what nature means to you. This is about realising what your current connection with nature is, what you feel you’re missing, and any barriers that get in the way.
‘With the impact of the pandemic particularly, we’re really stuck in a digital world,’ explains Dr Tara Quinn-Cirillo. ‘We’ve learnt to socialise more online, and a lot of us are doing it more often. We’ve lost a lot of physical connection.’ The current cost-of-living crisis, she adds, is also impacting our free time, with many taking on extra work. I know what she means: I often feel glued to my desk, and while I enjoy my work, I regularly spend all day online, in Zoom meetings and staring at Word documents.
Having the motivation to embrace nature can be a barrier, too. ‘You have to plan and make time to get into nature, especially as not everybody has it on their doorstep,’ Dr Quinn-Cirillo says. When you are busy, or tired out, or just don’t feel like going outdoors, for any number of reasons, it’s understandable that the idea of connecting with nature can seem out of reach; something that’s nice to do, but that falls by the wayside.
Psychotherapist Ruth Collier echoes Dr Quinn-Cirillo’s thoughts that our fast-paced lives can mean we’re disconnected from nature. She recommends taking time to stop and breathe, and to connect with yourself and how you are feeling. What is it that’s getting in the way in your daily life? How do you feel about nature?
When I speak with Collier, we have a fascinating conversation about the barriers around nature. ‘There are many people who haven’t had the benefit of having nature in their lives,’ she tells me. ‘Perhaps they didn’t have adults around them who could take them outdoors, or maybe they didn’t have nature close by as a child.’
But if you grew up jumping in puddles, climbing trees, or splashing in rivers, nature likely feels, well, natural to you. You may still find yourself detached from it as an adult, but overall, you probably appreciate firsthand how wonderful it can be, and have positive associations. But not everyone has had these experiences. Maybe you grew up in a built-up area and didn’t often go to places you’d associate with nature.
‘For some people, nature is new and daunting,’ says Collier. ‘There may have been negative messaging around it: “Don’t go into the woods, it’s not safe,” or “There are animals that will bite you,” or “Don’t sit on the ground, it’s dirty.” A lot of the anxieties around the natural world are from messages people have picked up at home or within their community.’ She gives
