How to Use Nature to Disconnect Your Thinking Mind

So, tell me, do you sometimes wish you could step off the treadmill of your thinking mind? Do you ever wish you could switch off the inner chatter?

I do. Often! One way to do this is to bring your awareness to your five senses. We tend to naturally filter out sensory details during the day while we focus on the matter at hand.

When you’re frustrated, stressed or feeling overwhelmed, take yourself out for a Nature Break.

Getting outside for a nature break and becoming absorbed in the natural world around you allows your brain to switch off from all that mentally drains you. Muscles that tighten in stressful situations will relax in an environment that nourishes you.

I invite you to bring a soft fascination to your surroundings by using all your senses during your nature break. It can take place in your garden, a park or perhaps by the sea shore. If you can’t take your nature break outside – then opt for a virtual nature break as studies have shown that watching nature programmes on TV boost mental health.

Let me illustrate what I mean with some photos taken on my nature breaks by the sea here in Norfolk, England where I live & run my retreats.

• See things as if for the first time
• Wonder at the colours, shapes, sizes
• I love to look at the intricacies & minutiae of plants.

• Tune into the sounds of nature around you
• Identify soft sounds you haven’t noticed before
• I love to listen to the seagulls calling each other.

• Breathe in nature’s scents
• Pick a leaf or a blade of grass & crush it between your fingers before you smell it
• I love sticking my nose in plants & flowers.

• Unless you’re a pro forager, it’s not easy to find something to taste
• I love to take a sandwich made with my own bread or a thermos of coffee!

• Run your fingers over tree bark, shiny leaves or delicate petals
• Explore different shapes & textures
• I love to finger sandpiper-like seaweed, shells & dried grasses.

Even a little nature break of five minutes is enough to reset your mood & quieten the thinking mind.

Make your next nature break a sensory safari – cultivate curiosity, wonder & joy as you explore the natural world around you. You’ll be surprised by what you discover!