Beautiful nature and mindfulness September.

🍄🌲 So many beautiful, mindful and tranquil moments running in nature recently! I am, I suppose a city leaning girl by nature but my need for the countryside and nature grows stronger all the time. It is becoming like a very positive addiction almost! I’ve been reading a lot about green exercise and eco-therapy in the last few weeks and I’ve just fallen in love with it, a bit smitten if I am honest. It makes so much sense to me and it is like a lot of things have fallen into place in my world because of my taking me time to go running, walking my dog and gently inhaling and exhaling in nature, with the gorgeous green hues and vivid colours. The gentle relaxing lull of birdsong and the rythmic buzz of bees going about their business. Green exercise, yoga and eco-therapy feel so right to me it's like meeting my soulmate. I can't begin to describe the calm feeling that comes over my soul and how clearly I see my life going in it's next major step when I feel the wind on my cheeks and the green of the fields...

Since July so much has changed internally and it is bringing about necessary and welcome change in my next transition as I move to the next phase and new location (they will be more on this in the coming months). I have started running again and lost some weight which I gained when I came back to live in the U.K last year and losing a close family member led me to comfort eat to soothe and blanket my feelings of despair, grief, deep sadness and feeling adrift from who I was or where my life was going. But from this lowest ebb in my life and the second and worst depression I have ever suffered I have fallen in love with running and yoga again plus a budding love of nature and trees has crept welcomingly into my essence.

But, even in this profoundly positive period of emerging from the dark tunnel of depression I feel disppointed in myself that I am not doing thirty minutes of yoga daily. Yes, I am running at least five times a week and doing a five kilometre park run on Saturdays I still have the heavy cloak of self-criticism on my shoulders. I try to shrug it off best I can. Yes, we are far more critical to ourselves than we ever would be to a loved to friend. Self-care is not just a new buzz word to use in hashtags but an important part of our lives to practise so we can protect our mental health and enjoy our time here on earth.

So, what is September teaching me? That self-care is my priority to protect and look after my mental health. So for me that's running, being in nature doing green exercise, yoga, yoga, yoga, lavender baths and as the everything turns autumnal lighting my candles and reading a good book.

I've used the words eco-therapy and green exercise a few times in my blog entry if you want to find out more (and I strongly suggest you do) check out this link-https://www.mind.org.uk/news-campaigns/campaigns/ecotherapy-works/

Wishing you guys a beautiful September!

Kindness and love,

Suzie x x x

Love and kindness, Suzie 🙏🏼📿