Times are hard right now, I know.
The world is in crisis and we are all affected. It's an anxious time for anyone, and for those, like myself, who already suffer some form of anxiety disorder, it can all feel pretty bleak indeed.
At a time when a lot of us feel the urge to go mentally inwards and wait out the storm, it's important that we all stay open connected and come together to protect those who are most at risk. And I don't just mean those people more physically vulnerable to the affects of COVID-19, the small businesses and self-employed, the people losing work and the amazing folks who work for our healthcare systems. With the world going indoors, many people face a tough time juggling working, living and socialising from home with minimal opportunity to get out and reset. We are all in this together.
We all need a break from time to time though and, the fact is, that despite COVID-19 the world still turns. Spring is here. The flowers are arriving. The birds are awakening. They have no idea what's going on for us.
Nature is still the greatest tonic of all and I feel it more and more in recent weeks. So here are a few ways to bring the outdoors in and help make the tough times just a little bit brighter.
1. Plant some seeds
If you are lucky enough to have a garden or a yard, however small, how about focusing on creating a vegetable or flower garden at home? There's not many things more satisfying than picking and eating your own home-grown veggies, or looking out the window to see a beautiful flower garden. It might ease your mind to know that you are able to grow your own produce and you'll learn a valuable new skill.
Get the kids involved too. They may even be more likely to eat the veggies if they've grown them from scratch!
You'll find many flowers will attract bees and butterflies: not only will you be doing some environmental good, but you'll also have free natural entertainment.
There are plenty of options if you have less space: you can grow pretty much anything in a pot and plenty of smaller plants can be grown from a balcony or even on a windowsill:
2. Feed the birds
Get yourself a bird-feeder and draw those birds towards your window.
Buy a bird book and you and the kids can find out more about all the different species that you see. What better time to learn more about our local ecosystems?
Remember though that birds in springtime mustn't be fed whole large nuts like peanuts as their offspring can choke on these. However, it's fine to put these in a suitable mesh feeder so the birds can chip away at them.
If you want some ideas have a look here:
3. Go for a little walk (but only if you can)
At the moment in the UK (March 19th) we are OK to go for a solo walk for a little bit of exercise as long as we aren't showing symptoms.
Take this opportunity. Go out. Stand under some trees. Listen to some birds. Look at some flowers. Feel the wind, rain or sun on your face and remember that the blue sky is always there (sometimes the clouds are just hiding it).
You won't have to go far to do this - just along the street. Or maybe even just stand outside your front door or in the garden.
Please be responsible though and follow government guidelines as and when they come out.
We all need to contribute to slowing the spread and flattening the curve.
4. If you can't go out at all, open a window.
Sounds stupidly simple but not only is it important to ventilate your home, it feels so much nicer to breathe in fresh air.
On a personal note, I find that feeling fresh air rushing into the room helps me with anxious thoughts. I can also hear the birds better through an open window!
5. And finally ... share your outdoor experiences with others online
Self-isolation does not equal social isolation. We may be physically distanced, but there are so many ways to connect with your outdoor community online.
At BGH we are going to be staying connected and sharing photos and videos of our solo walks with one another.
For those who cannot go out (which will likely be all of us soon) we'll be sharing garden pics and out-of-window views, as well as tales of past adventures and future plans.
Join a similar community group and get a conversation going. You may feel isolated staying at home, but you are absolutely not alone.
A particularly good one to get started with is the always upbeat and wonderful #walk1000miles group on Facebook or the similarly brilliant Adventure Queens
Take care everyone
xx