Out with the old, in with the new

Sometimes the clouds break and the direction is clear

So a decade draws to a close, one where we’ve seen the rise of fake news, increasing concerns about extremism, bigotry and violence. A decade where reality TV, social media and celebrity seem to take the place of real life and real people, where the message of consumerism can drown out the truth that happiness doesn’t come from having more but from doing more - caring, sharing and connecting.

Yet at the same time we’ve seen a decade where communities have come together when facing disasters such as floods, storms and heatwaves. A decade when people have been shocked and rallied to help when faced by refugees fleeing war and famine. A decade where the importance of nature, our environment, our health and wellbeing and protecting the ecosystem we are part of has finally gained attention.

Coming together to fight for a future for all

A decade when people power has started to come of age, to grow, to transcend national boundaries as people come together to demand change. From the ‘Arab Spring’ to the Occupy movement, from school strikes for the climate to Extinction Rebellion, ordinary people are having their say, are standing up to be counted. The new decade provides opportunities for a real shift as the challenges are faced and we all engage to protect our future.

2020 a decade for our futures

Winter is coming

As we reflect on the changes in our weather, those we perceive as been seasonal as well as those we may feel result from climate change, one thing we can recognise is that nothing lasts. Whether it is the summer sun and warm breeze or driving rain, gales and snow. The same applies to our own thoughts, feelings, emotions and mental states.

A wintry scene, but actually late spring on the Isle of Harris

Mindfulness practice helps us recognise that thoughts are not facts and that some thoughts may be more emotionally charged, more repetitive than others. With practice, such recognition allows us to respond more creatively rather than been stuck with the old habitual reactions. With today’s concern about the impact of climate change some are becoming increasingly anxious. The thoughts entering our awareness range from sorrow at the decline in species, the destruction of habitat, through fear for our own future, to anger at the inaction of governments and the denial (or rather attempt to obfuscate, sow confusion and doubt) by large corporations (just 100 companies are responsible for more than 70% of climate emissions Climate crime? ).

But just as the weather and ultimately our climate will change, so can our own responses. Instead of living in fear and doubt we can educate ourselves about the truth behind the headlines. We can learn about our own impact, and appropriate responses. We can take action to reduce our impact and encourage others to do the same, raising awareness and challenging behaviour. By practicing living with an awareness of our connection and responsibility to all species, to the planet, our life support system, then we can settle our own minds, gain more emotional stability and have a greater sense of wellness and positivity for the future.

What happens at Xmas?

A winter campsite can be more stimulating than hours of old films at Xmas

Lots of us are talking about the climate and ecological crisis we are facing and wondering about our own contribution to the problems and whether we can have a lesser impact on the world around us. Certainly reducing our carbon footprint (check Carbon footprint ) can have an impact, whether on our own finances (buying less, saving more), our health (food and exercise choices), our communities (sharing our knowledge and experience) and on the planet itself. However what happens at Xmas?

TV advertising would have us believe we need the latest gadget, more food than some see in a year, we need to jet off on holiday, we need to consume as much as possible, and of course share our consumption on social media to influence others to do the same. Why? Does it makes us better / nicer/ kinder people? No it means we contribute more to those companies that are already causing the biggest share of of the problems. The same companies that make gross profits regardless of ecological impact, the ones who use excess packaging, make things we don’t really want or need, that don’t last, can’t be repaired, end up in landfill. The same companies that don’t pay enough tax (in any country), that pay massive executive salaries while placing the lowest paid on zero hours contracts (check Ken Loach’s film ). It is time we engaged in protecting the vulnerable, protecting the planet, protecting ourselves.

Waves crashing, sight and sound, maybe all our senses

Many of my clients complete a sense awareness inventory, where they list what makes them smile, makes them happy, brings them pleasure, makes them feel good. They do this for each of their senses, sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. While some answers will stimulate others e.g. the smell of fresh bread and the taste of fresh bread: the sight of waves crashing and the sound of pebbles churning in the surf, what becomes obvious is that most answered to the questions involve nature and the vast majority are free. In which case what are we doing spending so much on illusions of happiness. This Christmas go for a walk, go to the beach, smile, don’t spend so much.

Engaging mode

Having been fortunate enough to be able to visit a variety of places in the last month, everything from remote islands to capitol cities, I've been reminded of what it really means to engage with our surroundings, with our environment. To actually move from 'doing' mode, speaking, taking photographs, reading maps and guides; and entering 'being' mode, engaging all our senses.

Research shows that the views that have the most calming
influence are those with mountains, the sea and forests

Too often it seemed that wherever people were, along sea shores, around harbours, on mountain ridges even on city streets there were people too busy to actually stop and notice. Too busy to smell the flowers, feel the cold of the breeze, the warmth of the sun, the sight of the eagle soaring overhead, the sound of the goslings swimming in the canal. 

The weather changed in a few hours leaving a good covering of snow on higher slopes

Instead of actually experiencing for themselves they walked around with the smartphones and tablets held in front of their faces, watching the limited view afforded by the screen in from of them rather than engaging with the better view which can never be replicated on screen, the view through their own eyes. I watched people pile off tourist coaches, take photos and get back on the coach for the next viewpoint. I'm reminded of lines from the famous poem -

What is this life 

If full of care

we have no time

to stand and stare?

Integration

A recent trip to Amsterdam (all without flying, instead using trains, buses, ferry, and walking) provided an opportunity to see how some cities seem to manage transport, environment and community integration more successfully than others.

A group of kayakers travelling through the city

Yes there were cars but they were strictly controlled with cyclists and walkers often having priority. There were also lots of electric vehicles accompanied by charging points on every street. While many think this has happened by virtue of the Netherlands being flat, the reality is that the infrastructure is a result of citizens campaigning for good public transport, for good cycle infrastructure, to limit motorways through and around the city to have great public transport, buses, trains, trams, metro, river boats, ferries, cycle parking etc. But it is not only about transport, every street seemed full of green, with tree lined avenues, planters, hanging baskets and flowers everywhere.

Lots of cycles and the space to ride them!

 And everywhere there was room to walk, from good road crossing points to parks and footpaths, all promoting a culture where walking and cycling seems the rule rather than the exception, where an appreciation of the environment includes having the space to stop, to relax.

Great areas for walking for health too

Engaging practice

Today is the start of Buddhist Action Month, a period when Buddhists around the world show how their Buddhist practice, their seeking enlightenment, their seeking to help all beings, is achieved not through sitting on a cushion meditating but through getting out into their communities, into the natural environment we are all part of and showing how Buddhist practice means caring for others, caring for places, caring for our planet.

New Year, New You

Sculpture trail in a local forest

It’s the same jaded headline we see every year. By now you’re probably fed up with all the TV and radio programmes, the facebook advertisements, the endless barrage of good ideas for a new ‘you’ this year. Just follow the latest diet, cooking method, exercise regime, celebrity cure and miraculously you’ll be fitter, thinner, healthier, all without any effort, leading us to feel guilty for not trying! Even worse, the dark, damp days of winter can be particularly depressing making these suggestions even more unhelpful.

The fact is you probably already know what to do to feel better, and it’s not difficult. Just think of things that make you smile or create a sense of wonder. Things like watching a glorious sunset or a kestrel hovering at the side of the road, the smell of fresh mown grass or the sound of laughter, the touch of of cold on your face during that post-Xmas walk. Making the effort to notice, to engage with our senses can help us to let go of the constant bombardment of thoughts that seem to overtake us as we enter each New Year. I should start to run, I should join a gym, I should eat less. While all these may be true, practising ‘shouldism’ isn’t helpful and that’s why our New Year’s resolutions tend to be short-lived.

Curlew spotted amongst the rocks

One answer is to commit to noticing, to enjoying, what is actually around us, much of it totally free, just open the door and go outside. There has been much publicity about ‘Nature Deficit Disorder^[1]’ mainly in relation to children and especially considering time spent outdoors or in front of computer screens. But it’s not just our kids we need to worry about, it’s us too. We’re in danger of many so-called ‘life style’ conditions, from obesity to heart disease, diabetes and strokes. While the evidence may be unclear about the role of genetics and other factors it is clear that we are increasingly showing the signs of anxiety, stress and other disorders linked to how we choose to live our lives. 

We need to watch less reality TV and get out into the reality that surrounds us, the real world that is all around us. Whether local mountains, fells and lakes, to the forests, woodland and beaches. From your local country or urban parks, to canals and even public areas such as common land and cemeteries. All present us with the opportunity to get outside, be in fresh air rather than traffic fumes, get some exercise no matter how gentle, and to appreciate there’s more to life than immediately answering emails and constantly posting your latest sandwich choices to facebook.

Science tells us we have developed to be connected to nature, it’s how we know where and when to grow food, what the weather will do, even what time of day it is. We learned to be attentive to changes in the seasons, to movement, to threats and to things that bring pleasure. This attentiveness or attention comes in different forms, we can choose to pay attention, such as when we are trying to complete a piece of work, this directed attention can require lots of effort and wears us down over time. We also have a built in mechanism to simply notice what’s around us. This involuntary attention requires no effort, hence why we can be easily distracted, but we can use this and directed attention when we go outside, into the natural world we are after all part of.

Involuntary attention helps us notice things, such as the geese flying overhead, the warmth of the sun, the stars in the night sky. We can then engage with these things, directing our attention to them, noticing how we feel. By getting outside and doing these we can let go of the things that were stressing us, even if only for a short time. Again the evidence is that contact with nature can lower pulse rates, reduce cortisol levels, and improve our immune systems. So what to do next?

Start by just getting outside the house and looking around. See if you can notice something you haven’t seen before. As you pause for a while notice your breathing. Try finding a ‘sit spot’. This is somewhere you can visit on a regular basis, a park bench, somewhere to sit on a path, even a quiet bus stop or pulling the car into a lay-by where you can appreciate the view. A sit spot is a place where you feel safe to stop and notice not only what is around you, but also how you feel when you stop. When your ‘to do’ list is put on hold for a few minutes and you give yourself permission to simply be still.

Volunteers on a beach clean

If you are able go for a walk, a cycle ride even better (perhaps to get to your ‘sit spot’). But it isn’t just about exercise, there are other opportunities to get outdoors too. Try volunteering, there are many action groups, horticultural, litter picking, wildlife and other groups. All provide the opportunity to be outdoors, getting fresh air, enjoying some peace and are all free. Even better you get the added satisfaction of seeing other things flourish, having a sense of achievement.  A version of this blog focused in the South Lakeland Peninsula of Cumbria is available here

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^[1]Louv R. (2006) Last Child in the Woods, Algonquin Books, Chapel Hill, U.S.A