Self-compassion and nature

Being compassionate towards ourselves helps us stay open to opportunities coming our way. When we are students, we have so many exciting and wonderful things to explore. Experiencing negative emotions such as stress or anxiety will stop us from grabbing those chances.

To show compassion towards ourselves means to be full of love and understanding towards the feelings that we experience. Sitting with our feelings helps us to understand ourselves and to let go. Ignoring negative feelings wakes up our inner critic. Allowing ourselves to experience negative emotions such as sadness is an act of compassion.

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better” – Albert Einstein.

Mother Nature is the most powerful healer. She tells us to love ourselves the way we are. She tells us to look after our minds and bodies. She wants us to be healthy and happy. She understands how important it is to be compassionate towards ourselves. And she does it, in many different ways.

She shows us how beautiful life is. Views that take our breath away. Sunset. Sunrise. Fields of flowers. View from a mountaintop. She makes us feel extraordinary things. Summer breeze. The smell of honeysuckle. She comforts us and feeds us. Walking barefoot on a beach. Eating our favourite fruits. Melons. Raspberries.  

Mother Nature tells us everything is possible. Shooting stars.

Using our imagination is one of the most precious gifts we can give ourselves. There are endless ways to do it. Being in nature acts on our imagination. Imagination allows us to experience and connect with nature.

For example, I am sat among wildflowers. Suddenly I feel overwhelmed with their beauty and wildness. I start to look at each and every one of them. I start to notice how much detail there is, how many colours there are, how many different types. My mind is blown away. Everything stops for a minute. It is just me and the flowers. I start to imagine I am sat in a secret garden. What happens in a secret garden?

Moments like this spent in nature, stay with us forever. Using our imagination wakes up our creativity. It makes us discover new perspectives. New ways of coping with daily tasks, feelings and emotions.

The word nature is from Latin ‘natura’, which means birth. Nature makes us find the urge for life. It gives us all we need. It has magical effects on our minds, bodies and spirits.

Be curious. Love yourself. Find beauty within. Let yourself be free. Go for a walk. Dance. Run. Laugh. Make the most of the opportunities university life has to offer. Have a beautiful journey.