I was only thinking about this while shin high in mud, wandering through the dam at the farm.
Then I had several conversations on Monday about getting outside to unwind. Very timely.
So this week we’re talking relaxation and recovery.
We are all busy, all the time.
If we ever get the chance to have a weekend of nothing, we love it.
But nothing always turns into something and often on the weekend we end up running around like chooks with our head cut off and are still exhausted come Monday. No wonder we get the Monday blues.
Even when we are doing nothing, there’s often a phone in our hand demanding our attention.
So we don’t actually switch off there either, unless you can switch it off and leave it.
But living by the beach gives us the opportunity to connect with nature and relax. There is magical power to sticking your feet in the dirt or sand or grass or swimming in the ocean.
Rather than just leaving it to magic, here’s how it works.
Yin is soft, earthy, and more related to nature and relaxing.
Yang is hard and strong and more related to thinking and our fast paced life.
The Yin & Yang should be in balance in our lives and when they are, things work better.
We always make time for work and personal jobs and socializing. We usually spend the majority of our time inside or with shoes on.
This leads to a build up on yang in our system which basically means our adrenal system is fired up and we often find ourselves wired and harder to switch off, relax or sleep.
If we can consistently make time for more yin in our lives we will feel better, sleep better and find ourselves more relaxed.
So get out of your head
and get your feet in the dirt.
Just writing this made me take my computer outside to work. I don’t know why I don’t do it more often.
So how can you spend more time outside to balance out your body?
Firstly, leave your phone at home or set it to flight mode if you have to have it. It’s a good idea if you are hiking to keep it with you.
Gardening. Even just having a few plants which you like will get you outside looking after them, especially if you can eat them.
I was lucky enough to pick fruit off the tree and eat it fresh as fresh can be while at the farm. Magic.
Eat your meals outside. It doesn’t matter if it’s a picnic or if you have an outdoor setting you can set up on, it’s far better than eating in front of the TV.
Walk, preferably barefoot in a park or at the beach. But even with shoes on, you’ll get much of the desired effect. Just being outside in the fresh air makes a huge difference.
Surf. The ocean will provide all of this good stuff plus a magical experience of playing with nature. You may even see some friendly wildlife.
Hike. We have Bold Park 10 minutes away and it’s an amazing place where the bush is right in the city. Use it.
I’ve been waiting for it to cool down before I head back but it’s a regular for me in the cooler months.
Train or play a sport outside.
Got outside where there’s plenty of fresh air flowing through to enrich the body.
Breathe. Go sit outside in a park or at the beach and take the time to get some deep breaths of fresh air in. It’s actually filled with magic. I checked science.
Inside all of us there’s a 3 year old just wanting to jump in a puddle or swim with our clothes on or climb a tree. Go do it.
The biggest thing with all these practices is to actually do it!
We know it’s good for us.
We have access to the outdoors.
We even love the outdoors.
We just need to make time for it.
That’s all.
If you struggle with this sort of thing, set some time outside as an important appointment in your schedule.
Even if it’s only once a week, set aside some time for just you to be alone outside for an hour without the distraction of a phone or anything else.
And embrace your inner hippy and get your shoes off!
I know I’ve said magic a lot this week, but it’s the magic in nature that keeps us balanced, relaxed and feeling good so embrace the magic!
