"Home is where one starts from." T.S. Eliot
When I began developing my first online learning course, it became clear that the best way to showcase the wonders of green care and Care Outdoors, is for learners to get a taste of green care practice at home, retreat style.
Home is where we all start from; home is our sanctuary, place of comfort, and place to restore, rest and renew.
Think for a moment, about all the views of the natural world you have inside of your home.
Now, take a moment and think about your outdoor spaces.
How much time do you spend in your outdoor spaces?
Are there 'windows' of opportunity to connect with Nature you may not be utilizing?
Do you want to discover ways you can immerse in the Nature Experience everyday?
The care we give others is only as good as the care we give ourselves.
Care Outdoors and Green Care Practice is Self Care Practice.
When you experience the restorative power of care outdoors, from your home environment, green care practice will trickle into all other areas of your life- your work and care community.
Thousands of research studies show that contact with Nature produces enhanced human health and well-being; for all ages. Unfortunately, due mainly to urbanization, access to Nature and green spaces are becoming limited, causing many people to become disconnected from Nature. Evidence suggests that our disconnection from Nature correlates and may even cause chronic mental, physical and emotional disease.
We are also losing our familiarity with the countryside, the agricultural landscapes that grow our food, and the stories that connect land, people, and Nature.
The natural environment positively shapes our identity and deepens our sense of belonging to something larger than ourselves. When we 'become small,' our problems become small, and we are more resilient when going through transitions and adversity.
We feel the sense of 'Awe' gazing into a brilliant sunset, watching the chipmunks munch on sunflower seeds and those adorable baby ducklings; we have an innate desire to connect with Nature.
Think for a moment about how you feel when walking in a beautiful natural landscape; a park, beach, mountain, or desert terrain.
Research has shown when we are immersed in Nature and feel connected to Nature, our happy brain chemicals flow.
Think for a moment about the people we care for; they are also disconnected from Nature and often the most nature-deprived.
People living in skilled, assisted, and memory care facilities, those living with disability, and those without transportation or nearby access to green space.
The most nature-deprived people depend on us, their carers, to help them access and immerse in Nature. But, if we, their carers, do not value the Nature Experience as a form of 'care,' we are not only depriving ourselves of Nature but also those we serve.
The 'Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS)' shows how our connectedness to Nature benefits our health and well-being and the health of our natural environment. Connectedness increases our value of Nature, and we naturally become prone to protect and restore our natural landscapes.
"Healthy aging and healthy longevity for most people-now and in the future- will not be possible without a healthy planet."
- UN Decade of Healthy Aging in a Climate-changing World, 2022
Once you experience Care Outdoors, you will want to be outside more, because it feels so good.
You will reconnect with Nature, restore, and renew.
Care Outdoors promotes Reciprocal-Shared Care. The distinction between the care 'receiver' and the care 'giver' becomes blurred. A more advanced and more profound level of care occurs.
The care 'receiver' has opportunities to become a care 'giver' and vice versa. Those we are caring 'for' also have a need to give care, make meaningful contributions, and be valued: tending plants and animals brings solace to all participants.
Breathe Deep and BEE Happy!
Green Care 101
A Two-Day At-Home Retreat
Retreat Includes Fun and Inspiring
e-book! Let's Bring Care Outdoors!