Episode 15 - We are nature, learnings from the IPPA world congress
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Mel: [00:00:00]
Hey everybody. It's Mel, again and today I thought I would chat to you about the things that I took away from a recent conference that I attended. It's called Ipoh, which stands for international. Positive psychology [00:01:00] association. And it's the world Congress. It moves around the world. , every two years, I believe.
And this year was in Vancouver, which is not too far from me, so I decided I needed to attend.
One of the reasons I really wanted to go to this conference was because. When you get a thousand people in the same space who have some knowledge. Of wellbeing and a desire to make. A positive impact in the world. You get them all together in the same space. There's bound to be some magical moments. And that's what I went to this event.
Hoping for and.
It didn't disappoint in that aspect because people are people and. I get really excited about the potential of all the good that we could do in the world. And so today's episode is especially tapping into the nature part [00:02:00] of what I learned at this conference. The F. Main reason I even signed up part from the thing just said,
Was there was a pre-conference workshop.
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Mel: And this workshop was at Stanley park in Vancouver, which is one of my favorite outside spaces. And it was chaired by Holly Ann Pasmore, who is an amazing researcher in Edmonton, all about this nature space and has really. Moved us forward in terms of. Backing up what we believe in this. The nature space. Nature and wellbeing space i should say and uh the lady who facilitated most of it was heidi schreiber pan and she is a psychologist
/ she talked all about how.
There is plenty of research out there that says. It asks people what they do when they're not feeling [00:03:00] particularly. Their best self and what helps them. To get out of that and to feel more positive. And. The research is showing that there is.
Plenty of people that are using nature. To heal themselves and to feel better. Right. And yet as a psychologist, you point, so. Most of us. Still then go, even though people have just said, this is what I would naturally do is go in nature. We go and sit in a room and we talk and it's not just psychologists, right? Like how many other places in our life?
Where we are in a space of. Wellbeing and trying to increase our and better our wellbeing. Are we in a closed room with a window? If you're lucky. And, uh, some cozy chairs, if you're even luckier. Right. [00:04:00] So this workshop was really fascinating because it was. It was this. Woman who has then taken it outside. Right? She goes, and she does her therapy sessions outside in nature.
And my key points learned in this session.
R this so. One of them is that. I'd really nice reminder that not everyone feels as safe as I do in nature. Right. We have, we have been, we've been raised in a world. Where we live within four walls. And we're no longer the cave men and woman of the world who are outside all the time. And therefore.
Our bodies and minds have.
I don't want to say adapted to that because actually our bodies [00:05:00] and minds definitely still need that. And that's part of the learning. But our bodies and minds have our need to heal from that is actually what I would say. And.
She had this one point where she, she was talking about. The fact that our language itself. Separates for us from nature. Because here's the thing. We are nature. Right. And yet we say things like. Let's go outside. To nature, right? Let's go outside. Out of the four walls out of, and yet.
What if nature is us, if we are actually part of nature, Instead of separating ourselves in that way. What other word would we use? If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them. I'm not sure I do, but I think it's a really fascinating concept that, uh, Even our language has shifted as, as English was developed to separate ourselves from nature. [00:06:00]
And yet we are nature. So I found that really fascinating.
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Mel: So within this and the concept that.
Nature. Isn't doesn't currently feel safe for everyone or certain parts do in certain parts. Don't. We had a really fascinating conversation about assessment and how to, if we are doing this work in nature. How do we check in with people and see what their level of safety and comfort is in nature? Perhaps something's happened. That's made them less comfortable or.
Perhaps, like I said, life has just made it in a way that they really don't like bugs or to be a little cold or a little hot or. You know, so what can we do, uh, As practitioners too. Help make that space. As safe as it can be in the, especially the beginning days with the [00:07:00] person, not that comfort.
Is. The dual end all. It's actually important to be uncomfortable sometimes. However. It. Is important for someone to feel safe.
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Mel: So for me, this was a really important reflection as someone who loves nature so much at this stage in my life, though, I do to be fair, still have anxiety about. Bears and cougars and. Wolf's and such. In the Vancouver island. Setting. Aye. I think this really helped me actually. Come in tune with what my big dream is in this nature aspect of it. And this actually just came to me today as I've been exploring what my dream house or dream land would be. And what would it do?
And what I would love, love, love to do, and I'm going to manifest it by putting it out there [00:08:00] that, you know, Universe right now. Is to find a piece of land. I find nature that has a combination of places. Trees. Uh, open space water. Wildness. But a piece of nature that we can feel safe within. And then I can bring people to feel that safety and to feel.
Connected to themself. Connected to others. And connected to the ecosystem that surrounds us. Right now every second of every day. Because what I really caught from this conference in all of the nature workshops I went to is that we are nature. We are one with it and we keep separating ourselves. And we are having.
Consequences to that. Our bodies know. That no matter how many times our minds say [00:09:00] that we have to do this, that or the other that is like separating us completely from nature. Our bodies know that that's where.
Who we are. Right.
And so. In the space that we're now in this connection to ourself can happen so much more easily. If we connect with nature first. And so one of the things that I offer in my practice as a coach
is coaching in nature. So really getting out there. And at first I was really thinking, just use the benefits by getting out there and do coaching as I normally would. And the other thing that this really made me think about in this workshop was. That it's about more than that. It's about.
Really connecting in with the nature that surrounds us and using that in our sessions. Right. So it's not just go for a walk in the woods while we happen to be talking. It's go for a walk in the woods. [00:10:00] Stop. Notice. Feel. And connect with our bodies.
And so I'll, we'll be exploring how to do that and practicing doing that with the coaching clients who come my way. If you're on Vancouver island, please do get in touch. But that is one of the, my key takeaways is like, how do I. Enable myself and the people I work with to really connect in with nature because, um, Holly, and Pasmore the scientists that I told you about.
She was talking in her talks about this incredible research. I find it absolutely fascinating. That it's not so much about how long and how much time we spend in nature. That doesn't always increase.
Our wellbeing by spending more time. But what actually increases our wellbeing is [00:11:00] noticing. Nature. Right. So you may remember from a past episode, a little micro one. I gave you a challenge. Uh, permission to notice nature. To go out and notice it and take a picture of something in nature of that.
Helps you feel. Feel anything? At all. Just anything. And I love this so much, which by the way, like, listen to that episode or just go on to the hashtag and start doing it, take a picture, write down what it made you feel. And nature can be anything. It could be the houseplant that's right next to me.
Um, if it makes me feel something.
And so this is what I'm going to be bringing into my practice and my life.
That we really share a DNA. With. Nature. That we are one with them, with it, with. Together we are together. We don't need [00:12:00] to consider us so separate and something. I really, really love with this for us that have trauma. Myself included and for. All of us humans who have had things happen to us that have not.
Felt very good. Right. Who are, we are still healing from?
I really loved this phrase that Heidi said, which was the land has experienced trauma. And come back. So do we. We share date DNA and we share resilience. So if nature has experienced trauma and comes back from think of it, the wildfires and the ice age, and so many things, every single day, that nature overcomes this trauma. And if we share its DNA, which we do, then we're just as [00:13:00] resilient.
Right.
And yeah, it sucks that this stuff happens. But we are resilient and we can come back from it.
Something else that I'll be taking away is, and researching more on and really getting to know more of which I've been wanting to and have started doing for the last couple of years. Is really digging into. The indigenous experience with nature, because actually this is everything we're talking about right now. Right?
And how do we live in reciprocity? With the nature around us. Instead of us just taking from it out there. That's not part of us. Right. How do we instead? Live in this reciprocal relationship and accept that we already are. Right. A tree. We breathe out carbon dioxide, the tree, breeze it in because it needs it. And it gives us back oxygen to breathe [00:14:00] in art like that is reciprocity, right. We are already in that relationship. And it's more about how do we connect with that?
And that's definitely something that I will be exploring myself. And I wonder if it's something that you also. We'd like to reflect upon how. Does your relationship and reciprocity with nature? What does that look like? Right. In my forest school certification course. Someone gave a, an amazing example of how.
With a child, they would. Whenever a child wanted to pick something. So a Berry or. A flower. Or whatever it might be, because we want to build that connection with nature, for sure. And children. And that's one way, one way that they do it. They encourage them to really.
Think about it in a way of like, okay, what are you going to give back and ask its [00:15:00] permission? And thank it. And whether that means actually physically doing that out loud and saying it, or like giving it something in return, which in. Some indigenous cultures would be like tobacco, for example, is my understanding of what they would give.
But for four. Each of us, we can come up with our own version of that reciprocity. Right. So, what do I give back to nature? I think for me, I give back.
The connection.
That I'm helping others find with it. Right. Especially in my nature, preschool that I work at, as well as my coaching stuff. I'm teaching kids and my own included in that too. Two.
Notice nature and to get out in it and to connect with it and to don't stomp on the ant, just because you didn't like it. Right notice that that is a living. Thing. You don't hit the tree with a stick [00:16:00] without thinking that through first. Right. That is, I feel like the reciprocal relationship that I give with nature, but it's something that I explore every day about how I give back for, for what I get for the wood in my house and the paper on my table. And.
And everything in between.
So I wonder why. What your relationship with nature in that aspect? Looks like. Um, something else that came up. In the conference was this concept. That I've never heard of before. And it makes so much sense to so many things in children, especially, but I think we have it too. And it's something called eco anxiety.
And in this amazing panel discussion. About climate change and how wellness and positive psychology. [00:17:00] How they, how they fit together, what is the relationship between it and climate change? And what's our responsibility.
They talked about this eco anxiety and it is, it is an epidemic in youth right now, because think about it. They, and we know about it. Right. We know. That. The world is changing and as not in a good way, that nature is dying. That. Icebergs are melting that, you know, so many things like the fires are burning around us. It's too hot for too long in the summer and too dry. All of these things, our kids know.
Right. They've heard it. They feel it. Even if they haven't heard it, they can feel the heat and, and the effect of that on them or the coldness and the winter. And. This creates this anxiety because of their lack of control over it. And.
For me [00:18:00] having a word. So like name that feeling is, is, is a game changer, I think. And there was this fascinating discussion about what we could do with that. Right. So how do we help our kids? So my daughter is super. Both of them actually daughter and son, but daughter, especially as she's older is super like.
Aware of all of this going around her, and I guarantee you, you shows eco anxiety. And.
The steps they gave us, which I really appreciated were. So notice it. Acknowledge it and validate the fact that that is the case. So this is within yourself or a child that you may know. So first notice and acknowledge and validate those feelings that, yeah, that's scary. Right. Yeah. That's whatever there's words is the R that they're going to use.
That sucks. Yeah. Like, uh, some of them are like, most of them I think are really angry. Like what world are we leaving them [00:19:00] with? Right. And then connect them with other people. Who also feel that way? So that they know they're not the only one they know they're not alone in this. And then help them take action. Even the smallest little action.
Even the smallest little action. We'll enable them to create movements and shift some of that anxiety around it. So.
Uh, lady I was talking to was saying.
Her.
I can't remember it was a granddaughter or a niece. I think it was a niece. Was talking about how she was. Didn't understand why we use plastic bags to pick up dog poo. And how horrible that is for the world. And so what can we do with that? We can validate those feelings. We can. Connect her with other kids who are also really interested in plastic and what it's [00:20:00] doing to our world and how we're shifting it.
And help her find a new solution, which is actually as simple as some of the super biodegradable made of corn banks that are out there. Right. Or other solutions as well. So that was super interesting to me. And I'm really curious of whether you identify with that word, eco anxiety or. Whether it's for yourself or someone else.
And where I came in the end was we can go and we can label and we can diagnose with us all that, all we want. And it is so important to have a word, I think for me, Anyways. And.
Instead of keeping that outside of us again. What if we just. As silly as it sounds like walk around being like, Hey, I'm mal I have eco anxiety. Like, what are we going to do about it? Right start the conversation. Anxiety, eco anxiety, all. [00:21:00] Anxiety, frankly. Is it, it feeds on our shame and it feeds on keeping it inwards. So.
The more we can go and talk about it. The better.
And lastly. In terms of nature. I really, really love this concept and this word. That Heidi. Put across, which was. How do we rewild. How do we reconnect with nature? Become our wild selves again. And that's something that I'm really.
Like it's, it's getting me excited, just thinking about it and really intrigued about how to help that happen. And I have some plans and some ideas in the works for a local Vancouver island people. If you're listening to do some more rewilding to really connect in with ourselves, by connecting them with [00:22:00] nature.
And a really super.
Practical thing that we can do well, going out in nature is so if you know the concept of ruminating, it's something that we naturally as humans do. And we suffer for it. Right. So it's the concept that we, something has happened in the past. And we think it through like, oh, I can't believe I said that in that moment. What are they thinking about me? And what if I had done this? And what if, what if, what if, but not the nice one.
This is the what ifs. But bring us anxiety because it's in the past. Right. We're ruminating or thinking of the past.
And in order to get through and the other side of ruminating. We need some perspective shifting and the best way to do that is to move to a new location. So if you're already outside move to another location, if you're inside, get outside [00:23:00] right. Move somewhere new. And your perspective is more likely to shift.
I could sit here in my little desk and stare at the wall and ruminate and ruminate and think about how annoying it is that I'm ruminating. And it's so bad and it's not good for me. And how am I going to stop and own about, you know, I'll go on a spiral. It's so, so easy for all of us to do. And instead, the easiest possible way to get through that is to just move somewhere else.
And bonus points. If it's out in nature. So last but not least.
There's this little quote that I wrote down the. Bottom of my notes here,
which is show up for nature. In a way that it is happy for you to be there. And to see you.
And I think if we can do that, We'll also be happy to see it.
And to be part of it. And I [00:24:00] invite you to think about how. That fits with you.
So. Thank you. Now if you weren't already out going for a walk while you listened to this or sitting by a tree, or at least looking at the one out your window. Then I highly suggest you go and do that as soon as you safely and possibly. Can even if it's just for five minutes. Right. Remember that piece of free to research by Holly Ann? Pasmore remember it's not so much about the amount of time that you give though. It's great to give lots.
It's about noticing. How the nature. Connects and how it makes you feel. So. Go and do that. If you'd like post it hashtag permission to notice nature. And. We'll speak to you again soon.
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