Five Ways to Commune with Nature

For nature lovers, communing with nature is great way to recharge your batteries. It's a time to reflect on your life and how you connect with everything around you. Camping is largely known as the most common way to commune with nature, but if you're looking for a new way to spend time outside, here are some ideas.

Start a Nature Journal

Take a few minutes out of each day and just go sit outside with a nature journal. While you're outside you can spend half your time reflecting or just dive right into journaling. You may choose to write about what's going on around you, what you hear, and what you see. Or you may choose to write about how you're feeling. Doing this daily will give you a specific time that you'll spend outdoors.

Start Learning About Native Species

Becoming a native species expert is a great way to learn about and appreciate nature. You can learn about tree, mushroom, flower, bird, and other animal species. Learning about flora is a great hobby, because you'll begin to see how interconnected everything is. For example, if you want to become a mushroom hunter, you'll need to learn your tree species to be the best at what you do. This is because there is a specific relationship between different mushrooms and their hosts.

Jog Nature Trails

Jogging is a great way to get exercise, think, and commune with nature. You can find different nature trails in your area and do a rotation of where you jog. Doing this daily will make you more healthy and you'll feel great when you're finished! It'll also give you a chance to notice the different successions of plant species that come with different seasons.

Become a Forager

Learning about edible species around you is a great way to spend time in nature. You can learn about different nuts, berries, edible flowers, and mushrooms then bring your bounty home to use in the kitchen. Nuts can be stored for long periods, while mushrooms can be dried out for storage. Berries can be made into delicious preserves and edible flowers can be put in salads.

Learn Your Constellations and Stars

Sitting outside on a warm summers night and looking up at the stars is a favorite past time of many. However, few people know all of the constellations and even fewer can name which planets you're looking at. So take the time to take an astronomy course or pick up a book at the library. It's not hard to learn and once you've memorized them, you'll know them forever and you'll be able to tell your friends exactly what they're looking at.