Rewilding Our Brains

Do you feel like you have an uncountable number of tabs open in your brain? Have you been taught that if you don’t exhaust yourself constantly trying to ‘improve’ yourself, then you will get nowhere in life? Do you long for a simpler life where you can prioritise your wellbeing and happiness? Let’s talk about that. Something I’ll say now and I’ll say again later: rewilding is about returning to a more natural state and living in sync with our bodies.

Something I’ve noticed recently, now 6 weeks into full-time van life, is that my mind is finding it easier to quieten; easier to focus on one thing, easier to be present in the moment without worrying about the past or future. I’m attributing it to living a simpler life with a focus more on what we call “survival mode”, rather than “academic mode”, the latter I have been in for at least a decade.

Image description: Jack and Becky are sat on top of a Welsh mountain range in their winter get-up with two dogs. Winnie is a black and white scruffy dog who found them in Greece, and Deesie is a red fox labrador who was rehomed by Becky's family a while ago. The weather is windy, cloudy and a little bit nippy.

SURVIVAL MODE

It might sound a bit extreme to say I’m focussing on our survival of late, but it is a priority that requires more thought than when living in a house. Daily, I check the following questions to myself and my husband off the list: “do we have enough water for two days, will we and the dog be warm enough, is the electrical system playing ball, do we have enough food if we are snowed in for a week, do we have enough gas for dinner and hot water bottles, is the weather bringing in any storms, are we camping in a safe spot, have we had enough exercise for the day?”

Once I’ve (we’ve) ticked those off the list, it’s quite satisfying. Also, none of the above questions instil any fear into my brain because I know we are capable of achieving them and this life has brought us so much adventure. So, once I’ve accomplished the survival to-do list, I can now relax with a couple of chapters of my book, look up vegetable gardening techniques (wi-fi signal permitting) or watch a film on the projector with Jack. If it’s more of a working day, then after the dog walk, I can weave a bookmark to update my Etsy shop or write a blog or check in with Instagram. Our daily tasks are now more important to our wellbeing and achievable compared to life in academic mode.

ACADEMIC MODE

I’ve known I wanted to be a marine conservationist since I was 11 years old. So pretty much since then (but especially since the age of 16, 9 years ago), I have been urged by educational mentors to make sure I am always learning a new skill, subscribing myself to every possible mailing list, signing up to all of the local groups and networking in person and online.

Most recently, I have completed my Masters of Science degree in Marine Conservation. Although I have gained new skills and insights into the world of conservation, its ethics and how to communicate with a plethora of audiences, I (along with the rest of my cohort) have picked up a productivity complex which is the norm in the world of science.

We were told that we must bombard every charity and conservation organisation with the willingness to work for gruelling hours for free constantly (by such organisations themselves) over email. We were told that we do not have time to socialise, sleep or work a paying job, as we have to study for up to 22 hours a day (if you added up the modules). We were told that if we do not have twitter, and do not tweet at least twice a day, then we would never get anywhere in our career. Basically, if we did not become productivity robots and make our careers and networking more important than paying the bills, sleep, or living a mentally and physically healthy life, we would not achieve anything. I’m sure you can see the problems emerging here, and unfortunately, I am by no means exaggerating.

Thus, my daily questions were: “have I read enough academic papers, have I applied to enough local volunteering groups, have I signed up to all of the opportunities we were emailed today, should I set up my LinkedIn account before bed, should I look at the trending news and write a tweet about my opinion on it, have I saved up enough money for that other volunteering opportunity or should I sell more clothes, how much energy do I have left for helping out another student tomorrow?”

What is ironic is this: we were being coerced into getting further away from time in nature and with ourselves and into the hustling, bustling world of academia online and in forums and conferences. We were actively told to spend less time in the environment we wanted to save and study, and more time kissing behinds of the “incestual” (genuine quote) world of marine biology. As much as I want to enjoy my chosen career, network and prove my contributions could make a difference, I kept thinking “I can’t go on like this”.

Image description: one of my favourite places, on a walk close to my parents' house, to take in the scenery and seasonal changes. Two dogs are swimming in a dark, slow river that winds its way through the Oxfordshire Cotswolds. A tree that has long dropped its leaves hangs over the river, and on the other side is a surprisingly green field used occasionally for pasture.

MINDSET & HABITS

I am sure that some of the above rings true for what you have experienced too. These mindsets and complexes do not change quickly, I am sure some of these habits and teachings will forever stay in my brain. But I absolutely refuse to sacrifice my health and happiness for unpaid and underpaid jobs, which is also the norm in the world of conservation. Below, I am going to give you some tips and tricks that have allowed me to start to prioritise my wellbeing and quieten my mind.

• Limit your working screen time (answering emails, looking for job or volunteering opportunities, online networking) to during office hours and/or week days.

• Write a list of things that calm you down (listening to a podcast, stretching, meditating, running) and do at least one of them every day.

• Check in with your energy throughout the day- postpone plans if your mental and physical wellbeing demands it.

• Spend time outside every day, even if it is only for 20 minutes. Have a brisk walk, look for birds, go foraging, have a jog, just get some fresh air.

• Write a list of simple self-care activities and make sure you prioritise it; stretch your body, stay hydrated, talk to a friend, perform your skin care routine, eat a nourishing meal etc.

• On your to-do list, write an approximate time of how long you think it will take to achieve. Now think- are all of them achievable? The answer is: probably not. Set some for tomorrow.

• Be strict with your time on social media- are you scrolling mindlessly or are you actually being entertained? Are you being reeled in by drama and doom and gloom? Be mindful of what you consume mentally.

These sound really simple in theory- but actually achieving the above can be quite a shock to the system (or so I found)! Make sure you’re not getting tangled in the trap of constant career progression over quality-of-life improvement. Remember: rewilding is about being in a more natural state and living in alignment with our bodies!

I’m interested to know your thoughts on the hustle culture of our society generally, but especially in the world of science- so comment below or message me on Instagram @rewilding_our_lives! More coming soon on rewilding your time and activities that provide an opportunity for nature connectedness and mindfulness!