I’ve been discovering in recent conversations that people are not starting their days feeling well rested. Perhaps it’s because they are working long hours, not sleeping well, caring for infants or elderly parents, or both, and they just didn’t enjoy the break they wanted when they took leave. Many people don’t seem to know what best re-energises them now and often default to screen time. If we don’t learn what replenishes us we become less and less effective, until we eventually hit burn out.
McCrindle research on the Top 2022 Trends found that prior to COVID many of us experienced FOMO - Fear of Missing Out, however after the past two years of isolation and lockdowns there is more HOGO - the Hassle of Going Out. Those of us in Melbourne and Sydney have spent weeks on end at home over the past two years, however we seem to be finding it hard to motivate ourselves to go out again.
The 2021 Australian Communities Survey discovered that the spiritual practices that most appealed to us were time in nature and listening to music. According to the Australian Psychological Society, time in nature is associated with lower risk of common mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. Time in nature definitely requires us to leave home and most likely we need to go beyond our 5km zone, which we know way too well now.
Time in nature
I encourage you to plan some time in nature. Perhaps that will be cycling through the forest, walking along the beach, or climbing a hill. What might best refill your tank?
Listen to music
Discover a new artist or a new album to listen to. Or sing your heart out to an old favourite. Katherine May, in her book “Wintering”, talks about rediscovering the joy of singing. "It fills our lungs with nourishing air and can make our hearts sing". Perhaps you will sing as you walk in nature.
Photo by Robert Lukeman on Unsplash
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