Noticing roots, shoots and the flowing of water

This last weekend I visited my parents, at my childhood home- well same land, different house.

It's always necessary for me to go the woods while I'm home, to reconnect and notice. I took a morning walk down the water logged field to the woods, where last time I was home there was crisp and bright snow. The sun was shining brightly and I'd put way too many layers of clothes on.  Turns out if I'd gone out an hour or two later I would have needed all those layers, you have to be ready for the weather! Phew!

I could see in the distance that the winds over the winter had not been kind to the trees and I wandered closer to see the damage it had caused to the trees I'd played in and around as a child. The trees that had grown along with me.

There were 2 trees with big chunks snapped off at the side of the field, five or six trees uprooted and were now languishing on the ground in the section of woods directly below the croft and various others on their way to collapse come the next high winds. Root balls straining at the ground, leaning with persistent pressure on the resistant neighbouring trees.

Now, at first glance I may in the past have thought it totally devastating, that these few fallen trees as being a destruction of the woodland and for want of a better word a 'mess'. And it is sad, especially when woodlands are so precious. Of course it is never a good thing to take wreaking of our environment lightly, especially if it as the hands of humans. In this instance, I reminded myself not to be too disheartened or sad about it, because it's another part of the cycle.

I've been reminded of this recently when taking a course in Ecosystems. Dead wood is a vital part of the health of woodland ecosystem. It provides many positive benefits such as nutrients, plays a role in carbon storage and provides a huge array of micro habitats for things such as fungi , lichens, invertebrates, mosses and birds.

I looked down and noticed the slender and bright green leaves of bluebells were piercing from between the beech and oak leaf litter, and even continuing their growth from the ground that had been ripped from horizontal to vertical with the tree roots. All this stirring a sense of anticipation in me and memories of the spring where I went for a walk in these woods and almost stumbled over a fawn, huddled and slumbering deep amongst the bracken and bluebells, it's nose twitching with each breath. That is one of my most precious nature experiences.

I slipped and slithered through streams and squelching puddles, as the run off from the fields meandered and rushed its way to the bottom of the hill. I stopped and listened. I breathed the sunlight. The birds were singing and the movement and shimmer of the water trickled its negative ions, deeply seeping into my soul.

Being by streams and burns does something to me...it melts me. It always has had a calming effect in my life. From a young age I would sit and play for hours next to the burn that edged my parents croft. Hours of absorbing play, creating stories and worlds with this flow of water at the centre.

I often wonder about getting an heart monitor or other cool brain research monitor attached to me and seeing how much my heart rates slows or brain activity changes when I put myself beside water, when I dip my fingers in and feel it's cool soothing flow.

Nature and it's effects on our mind, body and spirit fascinates and inspires me and by immersing myself in it's wonder I find more creativity and strength in what I do and why I do it.

If a connection with nature, creativity or inner strength is something you feel you are missing in your life I'd love to invite you to take part in an upcoming course I'll be delivering- alongside Morwhenna- The Creative Adventurer , via your inbox but administered in nature. Find out more by clicking the button below...

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Good things turn up- breaking the cycle of self-doubt

Dear wondering soul

Do you ever feel lost in an array of thoughts that ultimately tie you in a bunch of knots, keep you stuck and make you feel like nothing good will happen ever again?

Yes??!

The more people I coach the more I notice that we all have these thoughts to some extent or another.

Yes it's your inner critic, your top dog, your pig dog, your sh**ty committee, call it what you like it can still have some pretty nasty side effects on our lives if we don't find a way to tame them.

Self-doubt, plain and simple, can if you're not careful lead you down a path of negative thoughts and inaction.

Stuck, stuck, stuck. BLAH!

Pretty horrible to say the least and I don't wish any of you to be there, since I know how much you want to be creating things of wonder to make the world a better place and more meaningful for yourself and others. And I know you can!

I've been there too.

Yet, here I am writing this having come out the other side of the whirlwind more recently than I care to admit...

Turns out there are ways you can drag yourself out of this slimy slump of self doubt.

I'd like to share with you some of my favourite tricks:

Create something fun just for the sake of creating something

Be playful in the moment and don't worry about the outcome. Create something that has nothing to do with what you are supposed to be creating. You might just find it'll trick your brain into coming up with the perfect solution anyway. Ah ha!

Like this GOOD THINGS TURNIP!!!

This is the 'Good Things Turnip' Ok it's technically a swede but hey... this was created after an idea popped into my head after a pretty ugly bout of self doubt... the idea made me laugh and feel so much better, so I went and created it! :)

have a good boogie around the room

to your favourite playlist. Our bodies want to move!!

Take yourself out for a walk

Breathe in the fresh hopeful air... yes even if you live in a city. There is very likely to be a park near you that you can go and visit, and even better go see if there is a swing or a climbing frame free! Nature will work wonders on our body, mind and spirit.

Remind yourself of past wonders

Give yourself a boost by remembering that it wasn't always like this. I like to keep a record of good things that people have said to me, or moments when I’ve felt really good about my abilities and achievements in a jar. I call it my 'Jar of Happiness'.

Have a rant or a good ol' cry!

oh yes...do it and let the demon out. Try not to hurt anyone else in the process though because these outbursts can be BOOM! You'll come out the other side...exhausted but probably feeling a whole lot lighter. Get the facecloth and ice on standby to cool down afterwards.

Have a sleep

The phrase 'sleep on it' is a good one especially if you've just had some ranting and crying! Yes, it's a cliché, I happen to quite like clichés since there is usually some truth in them. This one will give your wonderful brain the opportunity to process all that is going on and hopefully make sense of it all enough for you to get a clearer idea of what to do next when you wake up.

Meditate

This one works similarly to sleeping - since it's not always appropriate to go to sleep in the middle of the day- a shame I know! Simply breathing deeply with our eyes closed can calm our noisy brains enough to let us see some chinks of light. If that feels ok, then try saying some kind things to yourself while you breathe.

Plan out the next single step and take action

You've probably been feeling overwhelmed right? Just before the self doubt struck? ok. So the best way to clear that nonsense out is the think about just the next small step. Don't let the WHOLE thing sneak back in when you're not looking. Write that one thing down on a post-it note and focus on that until it's done. Prove to yourself it's possible.

Do something for someone else 

This one is great whenever you are floundering or generally feeling low. Right now take your attention off yourself and instead focus on how you can make someone else's day better, brighter and lighter. And give yourself permission to notice and feel good about that too.

Believe that this too shall pass and good things turn up

We go through cycles and this is one of them. Ask for what you want instead of focusing on what you don't want. Focus your attention on the potential positive possibilities – the good things- of what you would like to happen after these feelings of self doubt pass and imagine yourself already there. I see you there!

So if you are like me...and most other people on the planet...you have to know that good things will turn up and you are worth sticking up for against that inner critic. Go get 'em!

Share your stories and your favourite ways of getting out of that slimy slump of self doubt in the comments below.

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Thank you!