Focusing on nature helps our bodies and minds

Todays modern world sees many of us caught up in an endless cycle of busyness. We are focused on working hard and managing a frantic social life. Our minds often stray from the here and now to our long ‘to-do’ list. 

I was that person. I was a highly motivated international conservationist on a mission to protect wildlife by delivering work across six continents. I paired work with a packed social life. 

A life altering illness meant I was forced to hit the reset button and see the world in a completely different way. Unexpectedly this resulted in me sharing the beauty of nature through the lens of photography. 

When the pandemic hit I contracted Covid in March 2020. It was an illness like no other I had experienced and I faced the possibility that I could die in my early 40’s. 

I didn’t die but nor did I recover. I became one of the estimated 65 million plus people across the world with long Covid. I have had 30 different symptoms, the most debilitating being crippling fatigue, difficulty breathing, chest pain, heart palpitations and brain fog. Over more than three years I have spent months in bed and every day I lie down for hours to recharge my broken batteries. 

Surprisingly the struggle with this illness has drawn me towards finding contentment within my new life’s limitations, at least some of the time. I found focusing on nature, rather than myself, helped me find joy within a few footsteps of my front door. This led me to teaching myself photography. Photography, in turn, taught me to focus on the present and gave me a reprieve from my mountain of worries. 

In addition to the physical battle, Covid ‘long haulers’ have a very large mental fight to face. Many of us wonder "will I ever recover? Will I loose my job, my home, my access to food and warmth? How can I keep myself safe from becoming reinfected? When will the medical profession identify the cause of this illness? Will there ever be medical treatment or support for this condition?" No one has the answers. 

This disability also affects our relationships with the important people in our lives. Some people have made the effort to listen, understand, empathise and accommodate the drastic changes that this illness imposes. Some people give you their energy when you have none left or offer help unprompted. But not everyone does. Feeling excluded, forgotten and abandoned can be part of this process.

Photography and being out in nature has enabled me to make new friends in the great, safe outdoors and find that human connection which makes riding this rollercoaster more bearable.

Although photography alone cannot heal the physical damage caused by Covid, it ensures a focus on the here and now, encourages gentle exercise, supports a medically-proven practice known as pacing, and provides me with a sense of achievement and wellbeing during my very limited periods of full concentration. 

Photography has led me to understand light and the weather so I know when there will be the most glorious conditions for landscape shoots. It has also enabled me to learn more about animal behaviour, making me feel like I’m in my own David Attenborough documentary. This closeness to the natural world is how we are meant to live. It’s how our ancestors would have existed. 

After three Covid infections and 13 immobilising relapses my journey towards recovery is ongoing but photography combined with the natural world has helped me regain some resilience.  It has also enabled me to create a positive narrative, rather than turning me into a victim of this condition. 

If you’re in a similar situation I hope you can find your coping mechanism. It may not be accessible or work all of the time, and there may be more setbacks to overcome, but moments of restoration make it worth the effort.