Learning to Exist: Lessons from Nature
Written by Natalie Lui
Our surrounding environment often plays a role in our emotional relationships with our bodies. As a city girl born and bred in an urban environment, I grew up constantly seeing myself in the glass reflection of countless skyscrapers, in the crystal clear mirrors in luxurious shopping malls, and in the eyes of other people.
The city places a heavy emphasis on its aesthetic. Its architecture has to be intricate, its cars have to be stylish and its people have to be immaculately beautiful. Living in a city that not only treasures but expects beauty is like having to continuously perform on a stage under the scrutiny of critics. They will judge your thinness and the clarity of your skin. The femininity of your voice, posture and poise. By giving beauty such immense importance and priority, the urban culture inevitably encourages each one of us to see and assess ourselves through the eyes of others. Consequently, our sense of self is based on external evaluation instead of internal reflection.
However, it seems that the natural environment encourages the opposite. In a recent conversation, Sierra Winters, a fellow Banter-bassador and columnist for Body Banter, told me about how being in nature positively affects her body image. Immersing herself in nature and tuning in to the surrounding animals and plants relieve her of anxieties about her body because the animals and plants clearly do not concern themselves with how they appear to others. They simply exist. Nature gives her perspective, because she feels connected to an energy that is infinitely more complex and magnified than our trivial worries about the appearance of our bodies. She notes that nature is always changing, just like our bodies. Sierra commented on this beautifully, “There is time for rest and time for action. There is a season for everything, and nothing is permanent”. Why then, do we question the natural fluctuations of our body weight when we don’t ever question fall when it becomes winter?
During a virtual interview recently published on Body Banter’s YouTube channel, Courtney Liu, a professional Broadway dancer, echoed Sierra’s sentiments when she spoke about her experiences of dancing in nature. As a professional dancer, Courtney found that she really needed time and space to dance for herself from the inside out, rather than performing for an audience from the outside in. To experiment with this task of dancing for herself, Courtney travelled to a cliff where she was surrounded by nothing but sea and sky. She moved her body to the sounds of nature around her, without music, and was surprised to find that nature alone carried enough energy to inspire her movement.
After hearing Sierra and Courtney’s thoughts on how nature affects the way they think and feel about their bodies, I wondered if any research had been done on this topic. A quick search revealed that the research at present is not extensive, but a 2018 article published in the journal Body Image reported findings of interest from researchers at Anglia Ruskin University, Perdana University and University College London. These researchers found that by either seeing photographs or being surrounded by it on outdoor walks, the natural environment fostered positive thoughts on body image in its participants, which were represented through expression of a higher appreciation and respect for the body, and rejection of societal body image standards.
More research is needed before we can confidently conclude that nature can improve our mental and emotional relationships with our bodies. However, I think it is safe to suggest that feeling connected to our natural environment has positive impacts on our wellbeing. On a personal level, I know that I will be sure to check in with my mind and body the next time I escape from the city to the lush outdoors.
I will ask myself: How does it feel to be a tiny part of a larger whole? What is my body accomplishing for me right now? What is intrinsically good about my body? Then, I will breathe, and just exist.
About Natalie
Natalie is Body Banter’s Program Director and she contributes to Strands of Our Stories from time to time with short articles that explore her personal experiences, lessons learned, and thought processes throughout her own journey towards self-growth, self-empowerment, body acceptance, and emotional resilience.