What lessons can we learn from nature?

I rarely come away from time spent in nature without some new thought or insight. But this only happens when I slow down and observe my surroundings- and put my phone away! Nature is a great teacher, if we let it be. 

Seasons
In the UK, we have felt the shift from summer to Autumn pretty dramatically over the past few weeks, with the drop in temperature and the dark nights drawing in. 

The changing seasons can teach us so much. I have learnt to pay attention to the way my body and mind respond to the seasons. For instance, Summer has typically been associated with rest and leisure for me, so I try to make time for travel, fun activities and spending time with people. Conversely, Autumn brings a nostalgic sense of excitement that always came with starting a new term of school, or starting university. I still get that increased energy and excitement to begin new things at this time of year, so I try to harness that. 

The seasons can also be a good metaphor to help us understand and embrace our own seasons of life, whether that is the natural cycles our bodies experience, or the different life ages and stages. There can also be emotional seasons, such as a period of grieving, or a time of great joy and excitement. We know seasons don't last forever, so we learn to inhabit them for their duration. 

Flow
Nature is always in process, always evolving and adapting to environmental factors. Being part of nature, this is equally true of us humans too. We are continually learning and finding ways to best survive our present conditions. As Carl Rogers, Father of the Person-centred approach, put it: 

“a person is a fluid process, not a fixed and static entity; a flowing river of change, not a block of solid material; a continually changing constellation of potentialities, not a fixed quantity of traits.”

This gives us a lot of hope, because we can often make changes-subtle or drastic- to our environment  to give ourselves the best chance to thrive. This might mean leaving an oppressive relationship or community, or seeking the support of someone who believes in and encourages us, to help us better cope with difficult situations that we can't change. 

When we observe nature, we notice a continual ebb and flow. A push-pull of opposites: day and night, wet and dry, movement and stillness. It feels like there is a constant battle going on between the elements, yet it does not feel hostile. Rather, it feels that each has their moment, each as important as the other. This creates a kind of rhythm- a dance. This reminds us of our own experience of life: the feast and famine, times of plenty and times of scarcity, times of gratitude and times of longing. 

Struggle
Despite how calm nature can appear on the surface, each species' fight for survival is real, and sometimes brutal; nature red in tooth and claw. This struggle reminds us of our own, that is an inevitable part of growth and change. 

Diversity
One of the most beautiful things about nature, in my opinion, is the great diversity of species. The sheer number of varieties of plants and animals  co-existing and supporting one another within complex and finely balanced ecosystems.  

This speaks to our own diversity, within the human species. There are things  common to all humankind; this gives us a sense of belonging and connectedness. Yet difference is also something to be celebrated and embraced.