It’s Earth Day on April 22, which is always a good time to reflect on the power, strength and resilience of nature’s ways. While we consider, protect and celebrate the environment, we can also check in with ourselves to discover if there are ways we might live more harmoniously on this planet, while improving our well-being as individuals and community.
We are one. All ecosystems and individuals are deeply interconnected. You need only visit a local forest for the truth and beauty of this. From the microbes feeding deep in the soil to the intricate root systems of the trees, the mosses and lichens growing parasitically, to the wildlife and birds – a healthy forest is a complex one where every organism big or small has a vital purpose and a crucial role.
The diversity within a forest is its core strength.
The same can be said for communities. When we celebrate and support each member, finding ways to foster purpose and meet essential needs, we become stronger and more united as a whole. Ways to build community as individuals are simple. Include others, especially outliers, in social or communal situations. Volunteer your time or services, or donate goods or funds to charities. Help a senior or a neighbour. Offer a kind word or a hug to a friend, or smile warmly at a lonesome passerby.
The ripple effect of such basic good deeds multiples them exponentially.
Once we get into this groove, we can apply holistic ways of living to practically everything, including how we think. Our thoughts, mindset and happiness are vastly interconnected. While many of us lean towards analytic thinking – trying to understand our world by analyzing every minute detail (sometimes to our anxious detriment) holistic thinkers look at the big picture to solve or accept problems and give meaning to their lives. Holistic thinkers consider intuition, emotion and gut feelings to be as valid as hard rules or facts. Consequently, holistic thinkers tend to be creative, social and artistic.
In terms of our wellness, an analytic health practitioner might treat a symptom of disease with a particular medication, for example, while a holistic practitioner will consider our mental state, diet, lifestyle and other mitigating factors to get to the full root of our dis-ease. Often a balanced approach to thinking, living and wellness is best.
Practising meditation is one way to get in tune with a more holistic way of thinking. By slowing our monkey brain (the constant analytical chatter going on in our heads) through meditation practices, we connect to our heart centre and open the door to calmer, more naturally intuitive ways of considering our day-to-day activities and problems. Practising guided or mindfulness mediation can help, as can meditative activities such as gardening, drawing, making or listening to music or simply walking in the forest.
