This summer my family went on an eleven-day backpacking trip in the Appalachian Mountains.  Eleven days of no phone, no cars, no electronics (using maps, not apps). We returned to our senses and a deeper connection with each other and the world around us…the external and internal noise dropped.  

When I return from adventures similar to this one, I find re-entry into the “world” to be jarring.  My senses become overwhelmed, I am no longer comfortably numb (or no longer desensitized to all the stimulus from the modern world).  I am reminded why many of the individuals I work with experience some level of anxiety and stress. This is certainly a beautiful, yet the overstimulated world.  

What is the remedy to this?  Daily practices that bring about inner silence- such as meditation, yoga, and walking/sitting in nature.  There are also many wonderful healing herbs that help to settle our nervous system. One vital practice is stepping out of the world seasonally and intentionally coming back to our senses.  Allowing the world to stop, away from phones, technology, and busyness. Doing this helps support the daily practices that cultivate inner stillness and peace.

I believe stepping away from the world and retreating is as essential to our wellbeing as eating nourishing foods and drinking clean water.  To stop and be in nature is not a luxury, but a necessity of the soul.