Coronavirus, isolation and nature connection

It has been a tumultuous time, socially and emotionally. The world is in the middle of a pandemic that is rocking the foundations of the global health system and economy. People are quarantined, isolated from each other, and tension and anxiety are high. I am in the fortunate position of being isolated with my extended family; 10 people on one big property. Loneliness is not a problem in this situation, though so many anxious people in one place can create clashes. 

Yesterday, I was really feeling stressed. Anxiety was building inside me and it was making me feel like a caged animal. I didn’t know what to do to release this feeling and so I took a walk to the end of the garden to look for respite in nature. I lay on the lawn and watched the sky, following my breath in and out. I tuned into the sounds around me; familiar bird noises in the trees. I watched a magpie-lark fly onto a branch and realised it was returning to its nest, feeding some hungry young. Its partner then left the branch in search of food. The pair took turns foraging for food and keeping watch on the nest.

At the bottom of our garden is a small pond. It is a hotspot for nature activity. I saw a pair of pacific ducks gliding on the water. After some time, they flew in tandem across to the neighbouring garden. I sat up and moved closer to a tall patch of grass beside the pond. I noticed a ladybird clinging to a tall blade of grass. I recalled a Mary Oliver poem as I crouched there beside the pond. In her poem The Summer Day she writes “I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed….”. And in that moment that’s exactly how I felt, idle and blessed. What a blessing it is to be able to pay attention to the tiny and intricate happenings in nature. What a beautiful way to let tension melt from the nervous system as the body tunes into a deeper and more potent calm. 

I started to notice other things then. A tiny green damselfly clinging to the tall grass, its long, slender body held perpendicular to the blade. Then I saw another one, red this time, with its body in the same position. Then another! This third one was yellow. They were like tiny jewels hidden there in the grass. I asked myself whether this was their sleeping position (it was late afternoon and the sun was low). Were they preparing for bed? Why were they all different colours? Are they different types or just variations of the same species? I wished I had brought my nature journal with me, but I didn’t want to break this magic moment by returning to the house to fetch it. Then I saw the single most elegant thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It was a long, green caterpillar, beautifully adapted to its environment with colour and texture perfectly matching the green grass and its head adapted to look like a fuzzy black grass seed. The lower part of the body was attached to the grass while the upper section was suspended in the air, as if the caterpillar was gently taking in the afternoon ambiance. When this regal creature noticed my presence, it turned its head with unfathomable grace and poise and lowered its upper body against the grass, assuming almost perfect camouflage. It’s hard for me to portray this moment in words. I felt completely in awe of such beauty and grace, and privileged to have witnessed this tiny, perfect moment. 

Needless to say, after this short time spent contemplating nature, my nervous system was calm and my anxiety had been transformed into a quiet joy. It’s important to remember, in these troubling times, that nature can be an antidote to stress and anxiety. Some people are not as lucky as I am and many are confined in apartments or without access to a backyard or greenspace. The sky is accessible to most people and can be a way to be close to nature, even when there is no way to access parks or gardens. Be alert for any small way that you can connect with the natural world. This potent remedy will be a balm for you through this difficult time. 

Stay safe, stay well. Please email me if you need more ideas for connecting with nature during this time.