59| Overstimulated Mom? The Nervous System Reset You’ll Find in Nature
Download MP3Listen to this connection in Psalm 23. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. I don't think it's coincidental that there seems to be a correlation between restoration happening in quiet, calm, still places. Maybe even beside water.
Kelsey Redd:Maybe just within God's creations. Are you craving more peace and joy in family life but constantly feel overwhelmed and never even present with your kids? Welcome to Intentional Motherhood, I'm Kelsey Redd, a mental health counselor turned stay at home mom with a passion for mindfulness, spirituality and helping moms create the life they want without adding more to your to do list. Did you know that I send out newsletters so that you never have to miss anything going on with intentional motherhood? Head over to the show notes or the website creatingintentionalmothers.com to get signed up today.
Kelsey Redd:If you've been feeling mentally overloaded, constantly overstimulated, or like your mind is just always going and never slows down, today's conversation is going to feel like a breath of fresh air to you. And that's because we're talking about one of the things that I am most passionate about and one of the simplest and most powerful ways that you can regulate your nervous system, reconnect with stillness and peace, and even deepen your spiritual connection without having to do anything new. And that is time in nature. And I actually created a whole four week nature reset to help you figure out how to naturally and realistically reintroduce time in nature back into your life in a way that feels grounded and practical in everyday mom life. So head over to the website, creatingintentionalmothers.com or check the show notes for the link to that.
Kelsey Redd:I know it might sound too simple, but the truth is that our bodies are designed to regulate themselves in relationship to the natural world. Long before we were constantly in front of screens and on tight schedules and having constant stimulation bombarding us at all times, humans actually just lived in accordance to natural rhythms of daylight. They wake up when the sun rises. They would fall asleep when it gets dark. That's the way it had to be.
Kelsey Redd:Fresh air movement, working the land and even taking time to rest more in the winter because of the longer darkness and the shorter days, all of that was part of what life just revolved around. The moon cycles meant something back in the day, right? But when we step into the life that we live now of again just constant information and busyness and honestly a lack of any outside time or sunlight, vitamin D, any of that, we kind of keep our bodies in this constant stress response mode. And going into nature is so interesting because our bodies actually physiologically respond. Our nervous system responds to the correct, appropriate level of stimulation.
Kelsey Redd:It's not that there's a lack of stimulation in nature. There's actually quite a bit of stimulation if you think about being outside when there's sun shining through leaves in the trees above you and wind blowing and birds chirping and maybe a creek running by. There's actually a lot going on, but it's the type of stimulation that is not overstimulating to our senses. It's not overwhelming and like clutter in our brains. It actually allows our thoughts to slow down, our minds to settle, our body to reset into the parasympathetic nervous system that's the rest and digest system.
Kelsey Redd:Unfortunately, most of us are living in environments that our nervous system was never designed for, right? All the notifications, the constant information coming our way, the endless decisions and distractions, the artificial light to the noise, all of that, especially for moms, there's even on top of that an added level of mental load and responsibility. And again, we get just stuck in fight or flight. Our mind, our heart, sorry, our heart is racing. Even our blood pressure just feels, it feels like our blood is boiling, know, like We feel that buzzing in our body of just constant I wish you could see me because you know the feeling, right?
Kelsey Redd:Where you're just tense, your shoulders are high and you're just looking for what fires to put out next. At least that's how I sometimes feel. But there's actually a very large body of research that talks about how soothing nature can be. In fact, of my favorite things to talk about is forest bathing. This research comes out of Japan where people would be actually prescribed time in nature, time to go walk slowly through forests and spend time around trees and natural environments.
Kelsey Redd:And researchers found that when people would do this, their cortisol levels would drop, their blood pressure lowers, their immune system function actually improves. Even heart rate variability improves, which is one of the key nervous system resilience indicators. Isn't this so interesting? It's not even, it's not necessarily related to exercise in nature. It's just being present in nature.
Kelsey Redd:And you know what's so interesting is that throughout scripture we see something really consistent. Where does God encounter His prophets and His people? So often we hear about going up to the mountain, Moses goes up to the mountain, Christ goes up to the Mount Of Transfiguration, Jesus withdraws constantly to quiet places where He can have some alone time to pray to His Father. Listen to this connection in Psalm 23. He leads me beside still waters.
Kelsey Redd:He restores my soul. I don't think it's coincidental that there seems to be a correlation between restoration happening in quiet, calm, still places, maybe even beside water, maybe just within God's creations. And you know, I think part of that is because observing nature can teach us so much about God and about God's nature. Part of it is just observing the rhythms that we see in nature. We see everything witnesses and testifies of life and death and seasons and rhythms.
Kelsey Redd:I love this time of year as we are in spring, we're in the middle of Lent to constantly be talking about how springtime is a time of rebirth and renewal. And then we go through a blossoming and blooming season. And then we go into a more restful season and eventually plants die, leaves die, and yet we know just like Jesus, they will come back to life and we will experience that renewal, that newness of life again in the spring and the pattern repeats. Not only that but we can learn by observing the way the river flows around obstacles. There's so many life lessons that we can learn through just observing nature.
Kelsey Redd:And it reminds me of this scripture in Job, Job 12. It says, But ask the animals and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky and they will tell you, or speak to the earth and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? I love this idea of letting the earth and the animals and nature teach you. I encourage you to find ways to make this happen.
Kelsey Redd:And in fact, I am so passionate about this that I created an entire four week nature reset to give you the tools and the steps that you need to walk yourself through increasing your outside time. It starts simple and easy, doable. You guys know I'm all about accessibility, practicality, and how you can actually do things in real life and not just add more to your to do list. So this four week reset allows you to walk through steps, including your children, including your whole family, to get out into nature, to experience the emotional regulation and the spiritual connection that comes from time in nature. So you're going to want to head over to creatingintentionalmothers.com to get access to this awesome four week reset, or of course click on the link in the show notes below.
Kelsey Redd:So here's my invitation for you today. Just go step outside. Leave your phone inside if you can. Go stand on the grass. Barefoot is even better.
Kelsey Redd:If you can't find grass, go outside and lift your face up to the sun and let the warmth of the sun touch your skin. Take a few slow deep breaths and just let your body remember what calm feels like. Regulating your nervous system doesn't come from just doing more and more. Sometimes it actually comes from returning to what God has already put in place around us. God created this beautiful world.
Kelsey Redd:Imagine that He created a world this beautiful just so we would have somewhere to live and somewhere to experience the majesty of His power and His creation. That is such a blessing. And if you don't feel God's presence by going and spending some time in nature, I don't know what will make you feel God's presence. For me, it's one of the most spiritual places to be. Don't forget to go download the four week nature reset.
Kelsey Redd:It walks you through the science behind nature and nervous system regulation and gives you a step by step action plan. Again, head over to the website, creatingintentionalmothers.com, and I would love to hear how it changes your experience of motherhood to be able to be a little bit more regulated, not to mention how this helps regulate your children. In fact, episodes twenty one and twenty two of this podcast talk all about how to help children emotionally regulate through time and nature. So go back and listen to those episodes as well. Thank you so much for being with me.
Kelsey Redd:If this episode has helped you at all or given you any sort of encouragement or inspiration, I ask you to please just take thirty seconds and rate and review the podcast so that it is more accessible to moms who are ready to create the life they want without hustling harder. I'll see you next time on Intentional Motherhood and until then remember, you're doing the best job.
