Traits of an Empath - Replenishment From Nature

August Heinrich. At the Edge of the Forest, ca. 1820. The Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the age of self-care and a general focus on the self, something still seems missing from the ingredients for recovery and better health. Therapies, solutions, and prescriptions still leave the body depleted. Empaths are especially prone to feeling even more drained by their environment. Amid the noise, energy, and emotions of others, it can be difficult to recover at home, and there is no rest from absorbing their emotions. What is needed is a return to nature, where the body can reconnect with the natural world. 

Why does nature seem to replenish the mind and body in a way that cannot be replicated? Much like how plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen, the natural world recycles our energy into rest. There is something in the creation of the world: the voice that spoke the flowers and trees into being also spoke each of our names into existence. There is a spiritual connection and a grounding experience when we encounter nature. An Empath needs something that helps them absorb the extra energy they have taken in. Spending time in nature, having an animal companion, or even filling living spaces with plants can help our bodies to heal and to rest.

Ways that nature provides replenishment

• Offers an emotional reset

• Grounding and recovery

• Space for solitude

• Regain emotional strength and build resilience

• Spiritual reconnection

• Rest from human emotions and anxieties

EMOTIONAL RESET

Something magical happens when stepping into a forest or diving into the sea. In some ways, it feels as though the body is returning to its roots, to its truer depths. Much of our lives, we are surrounded by man-made creations and find ourselves over-civilized. This has led to communal and individual fatigue and weariness. Returning to nature offers a chance to reset, recharge, and recuperate. The visual that comes to mind is from WALL-E. A robot surrounded by everything ever created, but it needs solar power to recharge. 

GROUNDING AND RECOVERY

Physically experiencing nature helps to release negative energy and allows more room for what is positive. Empaths tend to absorb so many of the emotions around them that they forget to make time for recovery. Without a filter to stop the influx of secondary energy, Empaths have to go out of their way to cleanse their spirit. This is why swimming can be a powerful source of healing. Not only does the water physically feel as though it is washing away the residue of negativity, but it also can be fortifying both emotionally and spiritually. 

SPACE FOR SOLITUDE

Even when at home alone, peace can still feel elusive. But out in nature, all the responsibilities, expectations, comparisons, and obligations go out the window. With the constant hum of technology and the presence of people, there is no break from the energy that connects us and cannot be blocked. In nature, there is an opportunity to be truly alone, and this gives the body a break from absorbing everyone’s energy.

SPIRITUAL RECONNECTION

The trees and the plants of the earth were created on the third day, the fish of the sea and the birds of the air on the fourth, and the animals of the land on the fifth. The same voice that brought the oak, cedar, and rose into existence also decided to make man in HIS own image on the sixth day. We are one, nature and man. We share a kinship in having the same creator. We are all molded, formed, and nurtured with the same hands. Reconnecting with nature is like a way to return to that fundamental relationship of being. Perhaps being kin to nature is more than a desire for green space and fresh air. It may be that we get a momentary glimpse at Eden and what deliverance will feel like. 

Wellness Lesson

1. We not only need nature for our well-being, but nature needs us to protect it.

2. We all need a break at times, and Empaths especially need a break from people. Nature absorbs negative energy and provides restoration.

3. Nature is where we can find true solitude, not just from people but also from industry and the marks of civilization.

4. We need to restore our spiritual well-being not just in religious spaces but also in nature.

5. Reconnecting with nature can be simple, like finding times to walk barefoot, garden without gloves, or swim in natural water. 

How do you like to reconnect with nature and find rest in the natural world? Do you have any tips for finding nature when green spaces are hard to come by?