Injections

Not the shitty ones you get at the doctor's that actually hurt.

The good kind.

The ones that inject a dose of joy or inspiration into your day.

In the exciting madness that juggling my different interests has created, I found myself lamenting one thing:
the weather has been getting beaaaautiful and I haven't had a chance to spend enough time outdoors to enjoy it.

I'm not trying to be a drama queen, there are obviously bigger problems to have (but stick with me, there's a lesson I relearned here).

Being in nature is a rich sensory experience.

It's absolutely delightful, and as I always remind students during my rooftop classes, it often feels like you've been plugged into a charger.

I got to walk back home after running an errand today and realized during the three-minute walk that that was really all I needed.

I felt the breeze brushing up against my skin.
I saw the sunshine as the sky shifted colours.
I could hear the birds chirping as they flew over my head.

And I felt instantly revitalized.

That three-minute injection of nourishment was enough for me to remember that I'm not deprived of nature.

I just need to tune in during the brief moments I get to spend surrounded by it.

Because the reality is,

It doesn't have to be big and profound.

It doesn't need to be loud and in your face and very noticeable to count.

Or make a difference.

It's often the accumulation of the little things that creates powerful changes.

One of the thinking traps we've learned about in our psychotherapy training is "all or nothing" thinking.

"If I don't get to spend at least [insert random amount of time here that works for you, I'll say 30 minutes because that feels like my minimum] in nature, then I haven't had a chance to connect with it at all."

Well, that's not how it actually works.

So here's a reminder to myself, and maybe to you: it's not all black and white.
Remember the many shades in between.

They count.

Whatever it is you're looking for more of, can you inject a tiny dose of it into your day?

Instead of being overwhelmed by how big or far away something seems, can you pinpoint what it is that you want out of it?
Can you find 1% of that and inject it into your day?

How does your experience of the exact same situation shift when you move away from "all or nothing" thinking?