Need solace?

Nature is always here for us

First things first: I owe each and every one of you a hearty thanks.

Rx Nature has surpassed 1,000 subscribers, a goal I’ve been creeping toward over the last few months. I was hoping we’d reach The Big 1K by the end of this year—and we did. Woo-hoo! Here’s the fun graphic Substack sent me:

See all those chairs? (I love the one that looks like a bird.)

Those are YOUR chairs, my friends! Because YOU are the reason this newsletter is thriving.

I launched Rx Nature in December 2022, which means we’re about to celebrate another milestone: the second anniversary of this Earth-loving community we’ve created here. Your interest, your reading eyes, your thoughtful comments, your care … that’s what makes it a success. And I thank you all, from my head down to my nature-based toes.

Billions of words

And now, on to other topics.

I don’t write about politics in Rx Nature. It’s not why I’m here and I’m pretty sure it’s not why you’re here, either. Heaven knows, there are plenty of other outlets for that, a plethora of places we can go to read/think/discuss our care for the state of the world.

This week, billions of words have been spilled about the U.S. election results. I don’t think I could improve on what I’ve read and heard. I can’t offer anything that hasn’t already been said, and said thoroughly.

So I’ll stay over here in my lane and share with you one simple fact: Many of us are in a state of shock and looking for comfort.

A sea of emotions

As most of you know, I’m a psychotherapist. Today was my first full day back on the job since the election. Hour after hour after hour, I sat with clients while they offloaded their anger and confusion, their grief and fear.

These were people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. Every single one of them was bobbing in a turbulent sea of emotions. They didn’t want to talk about the small stuff of their lives, the usual things we tackle in a counseling session. Something way bigger was on their minds, and their hearts.

The one that will haunt me is the tearful 26-year-old—a lovely, smart, kind young woman whose whole life is ahead of her, who should be brimming with optimism. Normally in her sessions we talk about the common concerns of young adulthood: career, friends, family, dating. Today she said, and I quote:

“This is the most dystopian my life has ever felt.”

Honestly? My heart broke when I heard that.

What I can offer

I’m well aware that not everyone is upset. A huge slice of America is celebrating. They’re happy, triumphant, looking forward to the next four years. Maybe you are one of them. If so, you may not need what I’m offering here.

This is for whoever needs solid ground under their feet. Those who are feeling lost and unmoored. If that’s you, I want to remind you of something that might help:

Nature is here for us.

The constancy of the natural world is simply amazing. The Earth adapts and perseveres. She withstands all kinds of storms. Six weeks ago, we who live in the Southeast witnessed the fierce, destructive power of a hurricane. It was shocking. But already the slow, quiet process of recovery has begun. And autumn is just as beautiful as ever.

Over and over the natural world provides inspiration, a reminder of how to hang in there through the violent forces of change. Maybe now, more than ever, we need that reminder.

How Earth can help

Here are a few ways I know the Earth can be of service to us—right here, right now.

• Nature is full of color and shape and texture. Sounds and smells. Those things engage our senses. They help us drop down from our fretful, thinking minds and sink into our sensory selves, our animal selves. I’m sure you’ve felt it, during a walk outdoors.

• Any time spent in nature is a break from screentime and its endless buffet of doom. That’s a respite we sorely need. Easy on the eyes, easy on the nervous system.

• Nature is full of metaphors, everywhere you look: a stream finding its way around boulders, a crooked tree sending out new strong limbs, a bird greeting the day with song. You’ll find messages in the natural world that apply to whatever you’re facing in your life.

• There’s plenty of research showing how nature benefits us physiologically, from the moment we step outside. Our heart rate slows, blood cortisol drops, respiration deepens. Those are natural stress remedies, free and immediate.

• Like a reassuring parent, the Earth spreads her arms to envelop us in something larger than ourselves. All you have to do is look up at the sky, and your perspective shifts. Instantly, there’s a reminder that we are small. Our concerns are one atomic particle in a huge and everchanging cosmos.

DIY Nature Therapy

Have I convinced you that nature will happily provide a remedy for whatever you’re feeling right now? Good. So please try one of these options—or both!

• I invite you to browse the archives of Rx Nature for the series of do-it-yourself nature therapy practices I’ve published here. There are at least 20 of them, each one a brief, easy exercise you can do in any outdoor setting. To find them, go to the home page for Rx Nature and type “DIY Nature Therapy” into the search bar in the upper right corner. (It’s a little magnifying glass icon.)

• Also, I want to offer you something special. I published this a few months ago, so some of you newer subscribers may not have seen it. It’s an 8-minute original video, filmed on the nature trail at my land here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The title, so appropriate for these times, is The Solace of Nature. I think you’ll enjoy this green-drenched stroll through a forest in the flush of spring, and you’ll see four of my favorite nature therapy practices.

Dear friends, I wish you well in challenging times. I’m glad you are here and I hope we can support each other with care and love. If you have found ways to stabilize yourself that are nature-based, please share them in the comments. Let’s try to swerve away from political statements, as I want this to be a welcoming space, one that is refreshing and healthful … like the Earth.

May all beings everywhere know peace of mind and heart.