There are many things in this world that are out of our control. Natural disasters, death, breakups, loss of a job to name some of the big ones. This can be a very difficult concept to accept and so we often fight against what is, which creates suffering.
Suffering is prolonged focus on pain and becoming stuck in suffering can create more problems. It’s certainly important to grieve loss but it’s also important to heal so that we can move forward in our lives.
No matter what happens around us we are still alive and with life comes the opportunity to create something beautiful out of challenges. Nature can be a very powerful tool in this.
Nature causes us to remember that we are part of something bigger than ourselves and in that connected to all. You can call it God. Or Goddess. Or higher power. Or science. Our inner selves. Our collective consciousness. Whatever floats your boat. It doesn’t matter. Simply spending time in nature opens us to an awareness and healing there may not always be words for but which happens nevertheless.
Nature reminds us of the impermanence of life. The natural world is constantly changing and if you were to watch it long enough you’d notice the perfection in that. Forest fires create new plant growth. Storms come and go. Droughts come and go. The strong survive. The weak feed the strong.
We may not always agree with everything that happens in nature but when we attempt to control it more problems often result. Dams break. Cliffs still fall off. Invasive species we thought looked beautiful take over. It is only when we accept that nature has its own intelligence and flow with it that we discover life can be far easier than we usually make it.
Nature reminds us that beauty still exists. No matter what is going on in our personal lives or the world at large, trees still grow, water still falls, birds still sing, and there is quiet upon mountain tops. There is a perfection to nature that we may never fully understand but can still appreciate no matter the chaos otherwise.
Nature helps us to be still and present. This can be very difficult but also necessary in healing. When we avoid feeling painful emotions they increase in strength until we are overcome. But when we get quiet and fully enter into our pain it becomes easier and easier. The pain may never completely disappear but the suffering will and you’ll be able to live life with more peace, satisfaction, and joy. The outdoors makes this process easier because it happens more naturally.
When we are in nature we heal and remember who we are, which empowers us to move forward and take action. This is important to the healing process in that it takes us out of the victim role and allows us to see the opportunities even in the most tragic of circumstances.
This doesn’t diminish what has occurred in any way. Rather it honors ourselves, anyone else affected, and the world as a whole far more than suffering ever could. If you find yourself feeling completely helpless and don’t know how to move forward simply get outside and be with nature until you do.