There’s a world of advice out there when you’re having a hard time, but don’t underestimate your own intuition and the healing powers of nature. Multi award-winning intuitive healer Sinéad de Hóra talks about how and why ecotherapy can help you find the answers you’re looking for…

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze…

– William Wordsworth

We all have questions

There is a common wave of emotion that tends to splash through us all. Some more frequently than others. Fear, anxiety, low energy, a negative mindset, uncertainty, depression, being overwhelmed…

I recently got asked the following question: “what advice would you have for your younger self?”

This, a profound question and one with so many possible answers. I closed my eyes and allowed insight to flow through. I replied with:

“Google doesn’t have all of the answers, but you do.”

Looking outside ourselves

When we don’t feel ‘right’. When we don’t feel aligned. If we feel low in energy or we are just not in the space that we want to be in, we tend to lean for answer and comfort externally. How often have you looked for insight from someone else’s experiences? Perhaps you have researched a guru or intuitive healer in your area? Or, perhaps you have sought advice from family and friends?

Don’t get me wrong, I urge you to talk to someone (preferably a professional) if you feel overwhelmed, anxious or if you would like some guidance. But let’s remember the power that you have inside of you as well. And let’s tap into that power today!

The sound of silence

The definition of nature in the English dictionary is:

The phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, including human creation.

Studies have proven that nature has a huge impact on our mental health and wellbeing.

Why? Because when we connect with nature, we connect to a stillness. A soft breeze caressing your skin. The gentle hum of the bristling trees. The sun’s warmth kissing your face.

Too much information

When we are surrounded by forest, flowers or the sea, we are surrounded by wisdom that has been around for around 4.54 billion years. They say that we crave nature the same way that a child needs a mother and derive the same feeling of comfort from it.

Today, we are constantly being supplied with information. Way too much. More than we should be able to handle. Emails, text messages, the news, TV programmes, sales pitch after sales pitch. Others telling us what is good for us even though they have never met us…

Reconnect with your body

Your body has all the answers that you need, and we must trust its intuition. Your body holds a unique wisdom that has been connected through the ages through your own lineage and ancestry. Your body and soul are ready and willing to share this with you. But first, first you need some quiet time to connect to this space.

Nature will help you to connect to this inner wisdom and assist you through transformation. How? Because we disconnect from the outside world and reconnect to something that is so natural to us. We reconnect to source.

In nature, our minds process a lot less than they do when we are ‘plugged-in’ to technology. The beauty of nature and the vastness of its landscapes act like a meditation, slowing down the ‘chattery mind’ which can be chaotic on a daily basis.

Inner stillness

As a result of this, inner stillness and energy fills us, generating a flow of energy through us that can ignite divine guidance, intuitive ideas, and a new wave of perception. That is all we need when we feel overwhelmed, anxious, or have low energy. We need to shift our perception. How can we connect to this when we are too busy to allow a new flow to come into our mind? We must spend time with Mother Nature.

Remember, you are composed of 65-80% water. You fuel your body with nutritious foods that grows from the earth. You are energy, constantly changing, multiplying and growing. You are connected to the universe and with that, connected to all living things.

So, let’s go back to basics

Prioritise your time and make time to get outdoors in nature. Let your soul go home and recharge your energy from that of the beauty around you. If ever you feel stressed, overwhelmed, low in energy or frustrated, don’t default to retail therapy or mood-altering medications. Put on your trainers and try ecotherapy instead. You may not just get a boost of wellbeing, you may get the clarity and intuitive guidance you were looking for all along.

After all, nature knows best.

…For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

– William Wordsworth