5 Tips on How To Alleviate Stress this Autumn Equinox | Paula Adams

5 Tips on how connecting to Nature this Autumn Equinox can help alleviate stress and allow you to feel the abundance in your life.

We have passed the longest day and we dance towards abundance and the Autumn Equinox …. here are just a few tips to help you to connect to the Earth and enjoy all that the Earth provides, less stress and fun.

This is the time of perfect balance between day and night, a time to revel in the wild abundance of nuts and seeds and berries. By connecting to nature which is something bigger than ourselves, we begin to see our place on this planet as custodians and guardians.

§ FREE FOODS: When you go out on the land walking, take containers for blackberries, elderberries, sloes and hazelnuts. There are abundant recipes on the internet with ideas of what to do with these delicious free foods.

§ BAREFOOT CONNECTING: Spend at least 20 minutes three times a week walking on the grass with bare feet. There are so many benefits to doing this, most importantly it reduces your stress and helps blood circulation.

§ COLLECT NATIVE SEEDS: I collected and planted acorns last year and they are approximately 10 inches high now. Collect hazelnuts, acorns, holly berries directly from the healthiest, local trees and plant them straightaway in pots of soil or soil and sharp sand. Water them well and when they are big enough transfer them to the wild if you cannot plant them in your garden.

§ MAKE YOUR OWN ROSEHIP INCENSE: Gather rosehips/petals/buds on a fine airy day and cut the rosehips to take out the fine hairs before drying. Place them in a paper bag in the airing cupboard or somewhere warm and dry. Shake the bag daily. When they are fully dried crumble them up and pop them into a labelled jam jar. You can then burn them on charcoal wedges. Rosehips help us to have compassion and forgiveness for ourselves and others.

§ MEDITATION FOR BALANCE: Even if you only have 10 minutes, find a spot in the garden where you won’t be disturbed. Close your eyes and notice your in breath and out breath. As you breath in say ‘I give thanks’ and as you breath out ‘to ….’. This gratitude could be for the sun bathing you in warmth, a loved one, the abundance all around you in nature right now, anything that you would like to give thanks for.

Relaxing into the knowledge that we can be supported and loved by the Earth, ask yourself what one small baby step can you make to deepen this connection to the planet? What can you give back to the Earth, whilst you appreciate her abundance?