It's not exactly what you think

I'm all for advocating going out into nature and basking in the noises of wildlife or the stillness of winter, but that's not exactly what I'm here for. I wanted to talk with you all about how beneficial I have found exploring my self expression out in nature.

If you're anything like me and have dealt with a lot of anxiety and insecurity it can be very hard to find a place where you feel safe to express yourself and your truth. This is where nature comes in. Wether it be the rushing of a waterfall, the sheer isolation of a trail that leads you a few miles into the woods or the defeaning droan of summer bugs getting busy. Nature has been a wonderful place for me to escape from the noise of the world but also for me to feel safe enough to express my own noise however I wished.

Even with the remoteness of the wilderness I have still struggled at times, but I find it far easier to find myself out there. Just as much as finding that space I think I want to capture the idea that you can take smaller steps that resemble the bigger, tougher ones in your lives. I've had trouble expressing myself around people, so for me my smaller steps have been finding that isolation and practicing, bit by bit.

I want to cultivate this in other aspects of my life that I struggle with too. I have a habit of trying to force myself through difficult situations for my own self growth. I feel that a lot of the time I harm myself by doing this too much. Often times a gentler approach can have better results just for the fact that you're not spending as much time recovering between attempts.

Related to all of this, I've found a lot of benefit from tackling things from different angles. I've had troubles with expressing my voice. Slowly I have worked on learning to play the ocarina and playing it in more and more public spaces. It's an analogy for my voice and I find it just a bit easier to express through it because of that difference. I've been having trouble making loud noises lately too. Maybe I can find an analogy for that to practice with.

Of course, the spaces I seek out are very personal to me. Your own isolated safe space might look really different! Mostly what I want to express is that you are valid if you need to take the littest steps towards your goals. The more fun and rejuvinating that you can make them. The easier your journey is going to feel in the end.

Wishing you'll happen across a deep secluded cave with the perfect reverb to yodel in.

-Clareon the Critter