Day 59 of 365 Days Of Low Carbon Living: recovery and reconnecting with people and the natural world by switching off.
Our dominant western culture extols continuous growth and push us to be on the go all the time and living individual lives.
It’s very tempting to go along with it, especially given the social pressures to ‘fit in’ and ‘keep up’ with others.
Yet this is not how the rest of nature works nor what we need to thrive.
Nature works in rhythms. Breathing in and out. Growing and resting. Being awake and sleeping. Living and Dying.
Continuous growth is an aberration, a plague that consumes everything in its path, a cancer that eventually kills.
So we, as natural beings and part of nature, need to rest, to recover from exertion.
Unless we adequately recover, our bodies and our minds become exhausted, and our lives become a mess.
Technology is also now pulling us to be ‘on’ all the time. We are expected to be constantly available to others, by email and phone. Social media and the 24-hour news cycle exacerbate our FOMO (fear of missing out).
Together, technology and our dominant ‘individualistic’ culture are also pulling us away from other people.
Yet we are social creatures who function and survive best in communities – that’s why we need real connection with other people.
So many of our problems at personal, community and global levels come about and are exacerbated because we have inadequate connection with other people and the rest of nature.
And we increasingly need connection with others and with the natural world as we suffer more and more from environmental stresses that come from things like living in inhospitable city surroundings or dealing with weather extremes arising from damage to our climate.
Switching off: taking side roads
For our wellbeing we need to ensure we get adequate rest, recovery and reconnecting with each other and the rest of nature.
This means deliberately turning away from the pressures on the main road of life.
Switching off from work, from day-to-day demands, from technology, from routines.
We may not see where we will end up, but we will benefit in the long run.
Switching off: time in the natural world
So this is what I did last week. I went on holiday with family, in the country, out of phone touch but very much in touch with the calming, healing beauty of rounded shapes and the greens, browns and blues of nature.
A time for quiet, for stillness.
A time to appreciate the simple yet interconnected marvels of outdoor life.
I am grateful that I have family who live in the country and that I have the means to take time out and to travel there (by train, not car).
Yet even if we can’t be in a fully natural place or in the country, just spending time being with plants and animals and landscapes, experiencing natural sky, sunlight, and weather can be uplifting. That’s why we have parks and gardens, and trees and other plantings in our streets.
Connecting with other people and with other parts of the natural world also gives us a reality check and reminds us why we need to live sustainably. We are part of nature and depend on other parts and systems of nature functioning well. When natural systems are thrown out of balance – for example, through damage to our climate or poisoning bees or water – our future is seriously threatened.
I value my routines that enable me get outside each day and spend time in my garden or bushwalking at least one day each week.
And I really cherish my time in the countryside.
Challenge
Today, work out how you can spend time:
- switched off and in the natural world – with plants and/or animals, preferably outside away from buildings
- connecting with people
Plan – and put in your diary or calendar – for these times:
- each day (this is easier if you build it into your routines)
- each week (ideally 1-2 days)
- at least each year (ideally at least a week)
Join me!
Any change or challenge is easier if you have company along the way.
So let’s embark on this journey together.
- Read my blog for ideas, thoughts and experiences for living a lower carbon lifestyle, more in harmony with nature – while also adapting to the consequences of our damaged climate.
- Subscribe to get posts direct to your inbox.
- Commit to taking action yourself.
- Add a comment to let me know you’re joining in the effort to turn around our world so it can remain liveable – and what your experiences are.
- Share with others my posts and what you’re doing – our efforts, progress, experiences and challenges – on Facebook, on Twitter, in conversations with friends, on talkback radio and in letters to the editor. Use #LowCarbonLiving hashtags on social media.
A problem shared is a problem halved. We’re all affected by the changes to our world so we need to be all in on the action!
Till next time…