Nature is Therapy; Life and Learning
How being in nature can be therapeutic
For me when I went on the field trip with my Environmental Science teacher (Ms. Culik) I got to go out into nature and sit in peace and quiet. I was told to go far away from others and be alone and think about my thoughts. When I got to my quiet and peaceful place under/near my choice of tree, I got to think of everything that happened so far this year the bad and the good. I got to think about the hard road I’ve had since 2019 when I was diagnosed with chronic illness. For me being so young and dealing with pain everyday on a high scale was very tiring and exhausting.
In 2021 I was diagnosed with Generalized and Focal Epilepsy https://mtviewmirror.com/epilepsy-vs-human/ . All those conditions led me to being hospitalized frequently. I fell off the cliff completely at the end of 2021 and start of 2022. I had multiple seizures/hallucinations along with the very high level of pain from the chronic illness. I became immobile which led to being hospitalized once again but for a longer amount of time. Being immobile led me down a dark well where there was no light to even try to figure out a way out. I wasn’t able to do school, I was unable to be social from the amount of pain I was in and the anxiety I had from being in this state. I’ve lost a lot from all the trauma I went through, I see myself as broken pieces that I want/need to put back together but have no idea how. During this trip however I heard a voice in the back of my head that was telling me “live in the moment you have right now, and cherish the time you have right here and right now”.
How being in nature can change your perspective
Being in nature alone and just in peace and quiet was very much needed for me. It helped me open my eyes that yes my future is unknown however, the time and people you have in this time here and now are a gift that I should never take for granted. I am always so focused on everything wrong that’s going on in my life, but on this trip I was able to see the good things like: My friends who are family, my family that’s on my side and rooting for me and a lot of other good things. We are constantly stressed about something in our life. Being in nature will let you forget all about what’s going on and lead you to peace and quiet. In my view being in nature is great way to destress. Think about life can be struggle sometimes, but being in nature helps you organize your thoughts and even specific things that are going on in life. I closed my eyes as I sat in the quiet nature, I envisioned my thoughts and tried to come to peace with all of them. I realized that the peace I have is when I’m organizing my thoughts.
In conclusion in my view nature is therapeutic. We have a gift outside everywhere that can help us forget all the hardships and lead us to thinking of all the good we have, which can be hard to do anywhere else. We have to cherish our time without thinking of the future or past as much as we can. Nature is a healing technique and will guide you to peace.
