Nature as Healer

​Caregivers, if you doubt that the beauty of the wilderness, nature in all its glory, is healing, consider the following quote from author Terry Tempest Williams. “Wilderness is an antidote to the war within ourselves. I return to the wilderness to remember what I have forgotten, that the world can be wholesome and beautiful, that the harmony and integrity of ecosystems at peace is a mirror to what we have lost.”
Was there ever a statement that hits at the core of what we have experienced during this pandemic? We’ve lost our world and our lives as we knew them. We've lost the beauty of our everyday rituals that keep us grounded and forward looking. We’ve lost the security of knowing that integrity and harmony still exist in the minds and hearts of those we expect to lead us. Simply put, we’ve lost our way.
Williams offers us a way back home. Nature, especially wilderness, beckons us to join in the beauty that is by definition, natural. Seeking out this truth leads to soothing our grief, returning to the roots of our wellbeing, and repairing the damage the pandemic inflicted on our body, mind and spirit.
The health benefits humanity receives from nature are well-documented. In her book "The Nature Fix," author Florence Williams takes it a step further. She wrote, “We don’t experience natural environments enough to realize how restored they can make us feel, nor are we aware that studies also show they make us healthier, more creative, more empathetic and more apt to engage with the world and with each other. Nature, it turns out, is good for civilization.”
Next time someone recommends you take a hike, do it! Could be the best thing that's happened to you in a long time.