This is the fifth year of our advent calendar - rather than the fourth that I have previously referred to. Apparently I am unable to count. You may have imagined that it would be difficult to keep coming up with ideas, but for me, this has been the most inspiring year yet. Maybe it was because it was less work for us as we asked the people and groups we work with to share what they particularly like to do during winter to connect with nature. I have been thinking about nature connection in a work capacity for several years now, and can track my own connection back to a time when I hung out in the company of other people who were deeply connected to nature, so if I am honest I didn't really think that I could be more connected, but it turns out that taking on board other people's ideas gives you a new perspective. Over the last 17 (as I write this) days, the prompts that we've used have made a profound impression on what I have noticed in nature and how positive I have felt as a result.
During December I have also been reading a new book about winter, How to Winter by Kari Leibowitz. She's a health psychologist whose area of expertise is in helping us understand and harness the power of our mindsets to improve our health and wellbeing. During her time living above the arctic circle in Norway she experienced a very different attitude to winter and now helps people to cultivate a positive winter mindset; that this is a season to be enjoyed, not endured. In the book she talks about research into the "Noticing Nature Intervention" which is shown to increase positive emotions, including profound ones like awe and inspiration, as well as improve participants' life satisfaction, making them feel more connected to both nature and people. Objections were raised that it was difficult or even impossible to notice nature in winter, so a study was run during winter (in Canada!) which found that attending to winter nature can boost feelings of hope and resilience. The book has made me re-evaluate my language when it comes to talking about this season. It's surprisingly easy to moan about the cold, and a whinge about the weather, especially when it is raining, trips off the tongue before I have even realised what I am saying. Or it did. When you lean into the winter mindset it quickly becomes second nature to say something positive - or at worst, choose to say nothing at all. There is literally nothing we can do to change the weather or the entire season, but we can choose to enjoy it a bit more, and the science says that it is possible to do this during winter through nature connection. The picture above was taken while we were out doing a litter pick with the South Lan Countryside Ranger team and Carluke Development Trust, it was extremely cold and foggy, and yet if you forgot about the temperature of your toes for a minute, it was really beautiful, plus Jock's Burn looked a lot prettier without all the litter too!
A phrase that I have learnt from Professor Miles Richardson of the Nature Connectedness Research Group is is "moments not minutes" when referring to nature connection; essentially it's not about the amount of time you spend in nature, rather it is how you spend your time and the quality of your connection that bestows the benefits. You don't need to spend a day driving to somewhere special, you can look out of the window or step into the garden, which is useful to remember amidst Christmas parties and family visits. Some of the ideas in the advent calendar don't even require going outside at all; reading about nature, watching nature videos online or taking in a podcast. To that end, Iris from VANL recommends reading A Sting in the Tale by Dave Goulson; she says "It's just such a lovely book full of descriptions of nature that make you more aware of the wee bits of nature around us that we don't tend to pay much attention to, because it's just "normal", but is actually really wonderful." Mhairi from VASLan encourages us to take a moment to watch nature videos online "When it's too cold outside and I don't quite have the energy for a walk in the woods - watching a wee video is a great way to get that experience from home and take a moment for myself. The soothing natural sounds and slow movements of various plants and animals really grounds me, especially after a stressful day. Nature ASMR all the way." One of our favourites is this video from the RSPB and Mhairi recommends following them on social media for even more soothing content. Vanessa from ParkBathe talks about taking more walks but making them shorter, and making them really count, by seeking out those things in nature that we know make humans feel better - for example looking for patterns in nature and finding awe; check out her her recent blog about awe in winter and this podcast episode about fractals. Additionally building on Mhairi's comment about nature ASMR, there's a short sensory ParkBathe film that is really soothing if you're not able to get out and experience a ParkBathe session for yourself. Finally, we've been addicted to a recent series of half hour podcasts from 10% Happier with Dan Harris. Featuring awe specialist Dacher Keltner, there are three episodes about how nature changes your brain, how to access the benefits of nature when you live somewhere urban, and the benefits of walking. These are definitely worth getting into your podcast feed for when you need a break from festive content, they might even encourage you to get outside, look up and connect with nature.
Wishing everyone a very merry and nature connected Christmas.
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