Bittercress, waterleaf, nettle, chickweed, miner’s lettuce, rubus shoots, sweet violet, dock leaves, young plantain – harvest, prepare, rest, repeat. I repeat, rest, then repeat…somehow my brain (or is it my body?) is not registering that word (or action) – rest.
It’s the first of March and I am already tired. Perhaps that is due to mulching the homestead throughout January or weeding and digging up blackberry in February? Winter? “Wintering”? I am afraid the balmy PNW winter has called me outside and the soft soils allowed for ongoing garden tasks to continue. How could it be time to ramp up? When does my body rest?
I can blame it on the weather (it’s such an easy scapegoat), but let’s be honest, when I am mentally anxious there’s no way my body is going to sink into a deep rest. Better yet, what are the odds that my coping mechanism for overwhelm is grounding into the land, and one of the many things feeding my anxiety is also creating moderate winter temperatures that allow me to weed and process (hello, global warming). Is anyone else feeling this dilemma?
I am not here to vent, but in writing what’s alive as we enter this month, it’s important for me to share my truth. And, who knows, that might also lead to further connection… It also brings me to my main point here: When the world is too devastating and heartbreaking, Earth is here to comfort and uplift. (This reminds me of a quote from a recent social media post by Wilderness Awareness School, “Sick of the world, but never sick of the Earth.”). I know, I know, what’s happening to the Earth is soul-crushing as well, BUT, the Earth is still here and so are we. So, how can we find ways of being here on Earth to relax our nervous system in times of devastation?
Here are some things that help me stay calm when I am surrounded by a profound amount of emotions:
Make a practice out of greeting different things around you and noting their beauty – as my daughter and I say every time we pass wild waters “Hello Sacred Water – We love you.”
Take a moment to breathe deeply for 5-10 inhales/exhales (try this at least three times a day).
Go outside – it’s kind of a no-brainer when you live in a 200 sq. foot box, but it’s amazing what a 5 minute walk outside can do to your mental health.
No phone zones OR airplane mode OR time without phone! – a friend recently shared that evolutionarily our body was programmed to go on high alert every time we saw a new face (intruder, intruder!), so imagine all of the unknowns your body sees on your device every single day (!? – that is some hyper alert, anxiety producing divisiveness).
Say gratitude – don’t just think it; say it; feel it; embody it.
Light a candle – fire is an incredible ally that can calm the body and also bring an atmospheric presence that is natural, fierce, and comforting.
Drink herbal tea – for nourishment, calm, placebo effect; just get some herbs and water into your body (not just tinctures!).
Run, move, dance, hike, walk, clear trails, shake – get it out!
What is your go-to way of re-Earthing? How do you stay humane? How do you embrace the wild?
Ok, here we go, welcome March.
I see you crocus. I hear you robins. I feel you daylight. I smell you budding cottonwoods. I taste you nettle.
<3Rachael