Oh so cool that you've done a solo walk! I remember a conversation around that a while back and I was literally thinking about it yesterday. Glad you did it and so glad it went well and was a wonderful experience ☺️❤️
Thank you, Sophie!! That conversation over at your blog helped so much, you and everyone else were so supporting, you all encouraged me really to try! ❤️ I'm looking forward to more - now that I survived the first one. 😄
Thank you, Victoria! ☺️ Also for letting me know that it's not just me! I've always assumed that I was the only one who's too scared because I thought as a woman nowadays you are or you have to be confident about everything all the time and do everything with ease. (And I felt like a proper failure sometimes.) But some things are simply worth overcoming my fear. That's what I've learned last week. :)
I'm so glad my solo walk inspired you! If you try it yourself, please let me know how it went! 💖
Anxiety is something that makes you miss out on so much, another unpleasant side effect of it. But every step to overcome your fear is so very worth it - and the feeling afterwards is just amazing! (Although I'm learning to pick my battles wisely. I don't need to do everything. Let's start with the things I really want! 🥰 )
A lovely and encouraging post! Just in case you haven't yet discovered it, there is a super phone app called 'Merlin' that hears and then identifies birds very accurately. I have used it to great success and have clocked over 100 different species just over the past year in my back garden alone! Very exciting and now I am starting to be able to tell who exactly is singing.
Even in the iciest winter here in Canada, there's still a regular and resilient choir and interestingly, we have "fly by" Herons at almost the same time each day. Fascinating.
Thank you, Sue, great recommendation! I hadn't heard about the app before, but installed it this morning, just two hours ago actually, and was very impressed how wonderfully it worked identifying the birdsong at dawn. Wow, this is helpful! 🐦
Over 100 different species, that's amazing! Thanks for sharing your observations! 😊
Yes I used the Merlin app it's great. It identified a Eurasian skylark this morning with its photo which meant that I then actually spotted it, so amazing!
Your walk sounds so lovely and well done for doing it alone. The forest is a place that, in fairy tales, is often made out to be scary and full of evil things but in reality is so peaceful and calming.
Also the board game library sounds so great! Jealous of that.
Thank you, Katie! ❤️ You may be right about the fairy tales we grew up with. This rationally inexplicable fear has to come from somewhere - and the stories from childhood could be a very likely reason for it. All the better when you finally question this and experience the forest in a completely different way. (It's not as if anything bad has ever happened in our forest.) 🌳🦊
The board game library is really one of a kind! Especially with kids it's heaven.
I love how you acknowledged the joy that came with overcoming your fears and it’s inspiring to see how you embraced the peace of nature and found yourself feeling safe and at home there. The image of the woodpeckers and the light through the trees paints such a vivid picture—almost like nature was holding space for you 💚
Nature helps so much with anxiety of our modern noisy world. It is comforting to know we can find solace in nature when we are ready. I loved you heard Woodpeckers, I too have heard one at my allotment this week. 🌻🌱
I absolutely agree! Connecting with nature is so soothing and it helps to feel more grounded. It’s a wonderful experience and a much needed counterbalance to our modern stressful life! At least for me. Nature is always there, waiting for us to connect with it when we are ready. 💚
Oh, lovely, you heard one too this week! Woodpeckers are so beautiful!
Congratulations for making a baby step towards understanding and befriending your fear, Claudia! Am so glad you enjoyed the solo walk. I love the ice flowers as well, I didn't see those around last winter, or they simply couldn't grow on my windows as the condensation would eat them up :(
Game library is such a cool concept, we don't have that here, but I'd love to pop along and borrow some puzzles. Used puzzles are sold for peanuts in the charity shops and I loved the concept of spending my time working on puzzles, until I went to a place for a weekend away and they had puzzles, I tried the 500-piece one, couldn't finish it LOL, I clearly underestimated it.
Apologies for my chimp brain that sometimes pressed the buttons too soon. Just wanted to add that I recently read about the EMDR in trauma that certain eye movements could desensitise the brain from the strong grip of traumatic memories. Walking in the forest, whether we realise it or not, makes us move our eyes scanning for the scenery and enjoying the nature. In contrast, working on a screen keeps our eyes fixated on the glaring object that perhaps worsens our minds. Forest walking is already with the additional benefit of fresh air and exposure to the good bacteria.
Very often you'll come across something in nature that surprises you, just this morning there was an Eurasian jay sitting up high in an ash tree, meowing down at the cats below. I have never heard them do this before, but apparently it is a thing. My parents told me I should never hike alone, but I did it anyway, both in the forests of Oregon and Washington on several beautiful trails, and do not regret a single time. Keep going with the solo walks, you are sure to find joy and peace on them, rewilding yourself with every step.
Thank you so much for your kind and supporting words! 🩷
Yes, it's amazing what you can see, hear, experience in nature when you just go out there and be really aware and pay attention. Or it sometimes makes you pay attention - like the heron I saw on our neighbour's roof the other day, only a few metres away. Not what I usually see when I look out of my kitchen window. 😂
Funny, a meowing bird! That must have confused the cats. 😄
Oh so cool that you've done a solo walk! I remember a conversation around that a while back and I was literally thinking about it yesterday. Glad you did it and so glad it went well and was a wonderful experience ☺️❤️
Thank you, Sophie!! That conversation over at your blog helped so much, you and everyone else were so supporting, you all encouraged me really to try! ❤️ I'm looking forward to more - now that I survived the first one. 😄
So cool to hear ❤️ onwards to many more solo walks in the future 🥾
Definitely, thank you! 😊
Gorgeous photos and experiences. I am always too scared to do a solo walk and drag my husband with me but you’ve inspired me! x
Thank you, Victoria! ☺️ Also for letting me know that it's not just me! I've always assumed that I was the only one who's too scared because I thought as a woman nowadays you are or you have to be confident about everything all the time and do everything with ease. (And I felt like a proper failure sometimes.) But some things are simply worth overcoming my fear. That's what I've learned last week. :)
I'm so glad my solo walk inspired you! If you try it yourself, please let me know how it went! 💖
It's so sad really. My friend is also scared to walk places alone that she doesn't know.
I must admit I never feel scared when walking alone, but I think I might buy a whistle as a safety precaution. 🙏
Anxiety is something that makes you miss out on so much, another unpleasant side effect of it. But every step to overcome your fear is so very worth it - and the feeling afterwards is just amazing! (Although I'm learning to pick my battles wisely. I don't need to do everything. Let's start with the things I really want! 🥰 )
A lovely and encouraging post! Just in case you haven't yet discovered it, there is a super phone app called 'Merlin' that hears and then identifies birds very accurately. I have used it to great success and have clocked over 100 different species just over the past year in my back garden alone! Very exciting and now I am starting to be able to tell who exactly is singing.
Even in the iciest winter here in Canada, there's still a regular and resilient choir and interestingly, we have "fly by" Herons at almost the same time each day. Fascinating.
Thank you, Sue, great recommendation! I hadn't heard about the app before, but installed it this morning, just two hours ago actually, and was very impressed how wonderfully it worked identifying the birdsong at dawn. Wow, this is helpful! 🐦
Over 100 different species, that's amazing! Thanks for sharing your observations! 😊
Yes I used the Merlin app it's great. It identified a Eurasian skylark this morning with its photo which meant that I then actually spotted it, so amazing!
I absolutely enjoy the Merlin app!
Thanks for sharing your latest sighting! Beautiful!
Your walk sounds so lovely and well done for doing it alone. The forest is a place that, in fairy tales, is often made out to be scary and full of evil things but in reality is so peaceful and calming.
Also the board game library sounds so great! Jealous of that.
❤️
Thank you, Katie! ❤️ You may be right about the fairy tales we grew up with. This rationally inexplicable fear has to come from somewhere - and the stories from childhood could be a very likely reason for it. All the better when you finally question this and experience the forest in a completely different way. (It's not as if anything bad has ever happened in our forest.) 🌳🦊
The board game library is really one of a kind! Especially with kids it's heaven.
Oh, wow, that spring snowflakes and ice flowers, I love them! And so happy for you that you so much enjoyed your first solo walk.
And p.s. I'm using the app Birdnet to recognize bird songs 😉
Thank you, Hilda! ☺️
Lovely, thanks for the recommendation, I'll check the app out as well! 🐦
YESSS I am so happy to read about your walk and that you enjoyed it! Amazing!
And I love the ice flowers :)
Thank you for your support! I'm so glad I finally did it! It's a start. :)
I love how you acknowledged the joy that came with overcoming your fears and it’s inspiring to see how you embraced the peace of nature and found yourself feeling safe and at home there. The image of the woodpeckers and the light through the trees paints such a vivid picture—almost like nature was holding space for you 💚
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Yes, it actually felt like this ... 💚
Nature helps so much with anxiety of our modern noisy world. It is comforting to know we can find solace in nature when we are ready. I loved you heard Woodpeckers, I too have heard one at my allotment this week. 🌻🌱
I absolutely agree! Connecting with nature is so soothing and it helps to feel more grounded. It’s a wonderful experience and a much needed counterbalance to our modern stressful life! At least for me. Nature is always there, waiting for us to connect with it when we are ready. 💚
Oh, lovely, you heard one too this week! Woodpeckers are so beautiful!
Congratulations for making a baby step towards understanding and befriending your fear, Claudia! Am so glad you enjoyed the solo walk. I love the ice flowers as well, I didn't see those around last winter, or they simply couldn't grow on my windows as the condensation would eat them up :(
Game library is such a cool concept, we don't have that here, but I'd love to pop along and borrow some puzzles. Used puzzles are sold for peanuts in the charity shops and I loved the concept of spending my time working on puzzles, until I went to a place for a weekend away and they had puzzles, I tried the 500-piece one, couldn't finish it LOL, I clearly underestimated it.
Apologies for my chimp brain that sometimes pressed the buttons too soon. Just wanted to add that I recently read about the EMDR in trauma that certain eye movements could desensitise the brain from the strong grip of traumatic memories. Walking in the forest, whether we realise it or not, makes us move our eyes scanning for the scenery and enjoying the nature. In contrast, working on a screen keeps our eyes fixated on the glaring object that perhaps worsens our minds. Forest walking is already with the additional benefit of fresh air and exposure to the good bacteria.
Thank you for the interesting addition! Definitely makes sense to me. 🌳🌲
I realise very clearly that staring at screens all the time is not good for me mentally. Whereas being in nature is - very much so. ☺️
Thank you so much for reading and for your reply, Sekar! 😀
Maybe a weekend isn't just enough time to finish a 500-piece puzzle. 😅
So happy for you and so proud!
Beautiful photos, I love the ice flowers.
Funnily, I'd never heard of snowflake flowers before but just read a local blog post today about them and then your post!
Also, a game library sounds very cool. I once did a round puzzle of all different wildlife, and we framed it. Not sure what happened to it.
Thank you so much, Hayley, it means a lot! 🥰
Sometimes it really is funny how we suddenly get to know something from different directions at the same time. 😊
Very often you'll come across something in nature that surprises you, just this morning there was an Eurasian jay sitting up high in an ash tree, meowing down at the cats below. I have never heard them do this before, but apparently it is a thing. My parents told me I should never hike alone, but I did it anyway, both in the forests of Oregon and Washington on several beautiful trails, and do not regret a single time. Keep going with the solo walks, you are sure to find joy and peace on them, rewilding yourself with every step.
Thank you so much for your kind and supporting words! 🩷
Yes, it's amazing what you can see, hear, experience in nature when you just go out there and be really aware and pay attention. Or it sometimes makes you pay attention - like the heron I saw on our neighbour's roof the other day, only a few metres away. Not what I usually see when I look out of my kitchen window. 😂
Funny, a meowing bird! That must have confused the cats. 😄