Life Transitions & Nature

Question: What skills can nature teach us about life transition and change?

Transitions come with stress 

• Attending to the transition, noticing the energy and tasks required

• Various emotions of transition

• Nature as an intentional place to "escape" to 

Tip #1 - any time in nature is valuable

Tip #2 - nature reminds us every thing happens in its time 

• notice the transitions in nature itself to validate your own

• Widen the lens - notice the steady cycle around the changes all around us

• allow the time of a transition, nature allows the slowness of transitions

• Job and Song of Songs

Tip # 3 - Look to Nature for Comfort 

• Nature as therapist

• Build a trustworthy relationship with nature (and with God)

• Release of control 

• Learning by experiencing and presence instead of cognition

Tip #4 - Take a Mindfulness Break

• Unconscious and conscious integrating for growing awareness

• Scripture examples in Song of Songs and Job

Colorado State U transition handout - https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/consumer/10214.pdf

Tip #5 - Reflect and Let God Tend to You

Resources - 

Life is in the Transitions book - https://a.co/d/8LB7Lha

Links to research

• https://silvotherapy.co.uk/articles/mental-wellbeing-nature-connection

• https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/3-ways-getting-outside-into-nature-helps-improve-your-health/2023/05#:~:text=1.,answers%20you%20were%20looking%20for.

• https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/resources/788-wild-and-well-nature-connection-wellbeing-and-meaning-in-life

• https://www.nature.com/articles/nphys898#:~:text=The%20most%20familiar%20examples%20of,melting%20on%20a%20warm%20hand.