Rewilding is quite a new term that’s been added to our vocabularies recently. A lot of people are talking about how to rewild yourself and become more grounded and connected to the earth.
In environmental terms, rewilding is about the conservation and restoration of natural habitats and ecosystems that have been negatively affected by the urbanisation of humans. Rewilding aims to increase biodiversity, balance climate change, create self-sustaining environments and reintroduce dying species.
And so applying the rewilding term to humans means connecting with the natural ancient behaviours of our ancestors and the true state of wild humans. It has the same principles and ideas behind it, returning the world and every living thing in it to its natural untamed state.
Rewild: definition (verb)
- To reverse the process of domestication
- To return to a more wild or self-willed state.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that engaging in the process to rewild yourself means you have to ditch the life you live now and venture into the natural world of hunting, building shelter and living off the earth. Though, you can choose to do that if that intrigues you.
Rewilding yourself can be more about making those ancient practises more accessible to integrate into your modern lifestyle. Live more mindfully, connect with nature the way we should, show the world love and find some inner peace from the natural world. Use the resources that the world provides for us and act respectfully.
Why Should You Rewild Yourself?
Well, we were all born into the natural world. As babies, we have no knowledge of the domestication of the world and only act on our natural impulses and needs.
As we get older, we are conditioned to live in our surrounding environment and adapt to the world we’ve been born into. We often take on the same beliefs of our families and community and subconsciously conform in order to fit in.
Sometimes, it’s hard to get out of that, especially when you’re unaware of how conditioned your mind and body has become through all of this.
Nowadays, the majority of the world is living in an enhanced world with the luxury of technology and electricity. 200 years ago, the world was nothing like that and as humans, we’ve quickly adapted to depend on it to get around, to communicate and to live. And because of this, we’re creating massive carbon footprints that are directly affecting the planet we live on.
Imagine right now that you were born thousands of years ago where you were having to make your own clothes out of animal skins, hunt for every meal and build a shelter out of whatever suitable material you could find.
Well, there are tribes of people living out in the world right now in nature, doing just that, in the way that humans were ‘intended to’.
As a species, we’ve advanced so far that we’ve become disconnected from the natural world. Isn’t the current state of climate change a sign of how our own ignorance, disrespect and disconnection is killing our environment?
If we all tried to reintroduce ourselves into the wild and live more natural cycles, the planet may just receive the care and respect it was designed for. And wouldn’t our minds and bodies feel healthier and more peaceful because of it?
How Do You Rewild Humans?
Rewilding humans is about restoring our natural rhythms, returning to our untamed state of being, undoing our life-long conditioning and recreating a lifestyle with a more holistic way of living.
In our most basic state, all we really need to survive is clean air, water and food. Just like ecosystems, when we are cut off from the things that nourish us, we can no longer grow or live.
But in our more complicated state, we need more than that to function, such as love, comfort, nourishment, shelter etc. We have even begun to rely on the artificial parts of life that we’ve created, because we are surrounded by them and have become conditioned to live off them.
We don’t hunt for food; we go to the supermarket where the job has been done for us. We don’t need to go for a walk in nature because we can go to the gym instead.
All of these inventions and adaptations have made it much easier for us to live efficiently so it wouldn’t be realistic to encourage everyone to completely return to a wild state when we have impressively advanced so far as a species.
But because of this, a lot of us forget that we are a part of nature too. And we need the same things in order to thrive and feel grounded, cleansed and nourished.
Returning to nature and learning how to rewild yourself can help us to learn more things about our bodies and minds, can reclaim our creativity, become a part of our self care routine and unearth our true untamed selves and remind us about the bigger world outside of ourselves. It’s a way to truly connect with authentic holistic living and remind yourself how lucky you are to live in such an enhanced world alongside a wild world.
We have let modern creations take over and a lot of us see more concrete than we do greenery. Taking a step to rewild yourself can have so many physical and mental benefits so read on to learn how to gradually engage more with nature by easily adapting some of your daily activities to begin your journey to rewild yourself.
Go Into The Wild To Rewild Yourself
One of those ways is getting out in the wild.
If we are to properly connect with the world, we must view it in the way it’s intended. We are constantly surrounded by human inventions and creations that we have normalised when there are so many natural beauties to be seen.
Living in cities makes it difficult to get out into nature and take it in as there tends not to be a lot of green space. So plan a day where you can visit a national park or the beach and really take in everything around you.
We’ll feel more connected to the world as we spend more time in its natural state so get out in it as much as you can. Nature can help you to clear your mind of your daily worries and the stress that we deal with in our modern lives. Cleanse your mind by reminding yourself how pure and incredible the natural world is and how lucky you are to be able to appreciate it.
There are plenty of places you can explore. Go to the beach if you haven’t been recently, go for a hike up the nearest mountain or dip your feet in a clear stream.
Do some research or buy a book full of wildlife trails and decide where you think you’ll be happiest discovering.
Go on a Trip
If you find it difficult to get out into nature in your normal days, plan a trip where you can really experience the natural world. Research places to go backpacking, hiking or cycling through trails with amazing views and stories.
Save up for a safari and see creatures in their natural habitat there.
Go to the beach and venture out on a boat to search for fish under the surface. Wait until the tide goes out and see if you can find some crabs scuttling across the sand.
Go and see some of the world’s greatest natural creations and start to feel and interpret the relaxation it gives you.
Create a Garden to Rewild Yourself
Spending time weeding, watering and nurturing plants can have an incredible benefit on your mental health. Not only is it a healthy hobby that gets you out into the fresh air, it connects you with nature as you are literally creating and building it.
You are responsible for your plants’ health and growth in which that action holds a lot of power that you may not realise.
Even growing some houseplants can be beneficial as a lot of them cleanse the surrounding air so you are breathing in purified air from the plants that you have nurtured.
If you grow some vegetables, you can harvest them and know that you are eating organic food that you have provided for yourself. The earth has helped you to grow them and provided food for you to eat.
There are plenty of bee and butterfly friendly flowers that you can plant and watch them get to work every summer.
When you tend to your garden, think about getting a compost bin and put your food waste in there to later use. Install a water butt and collect rain water to healthily water your indoor plants too.
By doing some or all of these will help you gain more knowledge about your ecosystem and the way that sustainable food systems work. You are contributing to reducing your carbon footprint and releasing more oxygen into the air.
Forage and Research To Rewild Yourself
A common and easy way to rewild yourself is foraging. Whilst you’re out for a walk in September, pick some blackberries. Or visit a damp part of the woods to find some edible mushrooms.
Research some wild plants to keep an eye out for and collect them as you go.
Press your collected flowers and use your crafty skills to integrate them into the design of your house or keep a diary or list of what you’ve found.
Research medicinal plants that are used in natural products.
There are many different beautiful pieces of wildlife that change all year around. Why don’t you make a note of what time of year the wildlife you’re interested in are in season and keep your eye out for them. Snip them, photograph them or note them down as you find them.
Things that you may usually just walk past and ignore are recognised and identified. Be more mindful of your surroundings and you may just find some small beauties.
Create a Nature Journal
When you’ve been foraging or seen a flower or leaf you like, collect it and pop it in a journal. Write down the other things you noticed in nature, what’s in bloom, what colours are around, the temperature, humidity, any animals that you see.
Take some time to stargaze, watch the movement of the clouds, the changes in the weather and take note of the date too. Continue to do this throughout the year and analyse how things change in your environment as the seasons change.
Create a ritual and explore different surroundings to connect with nature in different places. Remember to write down the way you feel as you’re seeing and experiencing it.
You can learn so much about the changing seasons, nature’s patterns and how connected everything is in that ecosystem or habitat.
Keeping a physical journal also provides you with a token of nature even when you can’t physically be in it. When you find it hard to get outside, like in the cold winter months or when you’re feeling too unwell to leave the house, you can look through your journal and feel connected to the outside world.
You can also learn about the benefits of journaling in general here.
Think About Natural Things That Make You Happy
When we’ve lived a life of being so domesticated, it can be hard to find our natural selves and throw ourselves into nature. If you’re struggling to let yourself loose, try starting with noting down some natural things that make you happy.
Like when you see a pretty butterfly or a bee flying from flower to flower. The beauty of the sunset and the sound of the gentle waves or birds outside your window.
Starting with noticing the small things that you often overlook can be a great way to gently ease into rewilding yourself.
Eventually you’ll be ready to take the next step to rewild yourself as you show more interest in the smaller parts of the world’s natural beauty.
Bring Nature Inside To Rewild Yourself
I’m a big fan of houseplants and having a natural look inside a home.
Wooden furniture piled high with vibrant plants and natural light pouring in.
We can get stuck indoors too often, sometimes not out of choice so the least we can do is bring some nature indoors.
Start with a few plants dotted here and there, let some fresh air in by keeping your windows open and try to be in as much natural light as possible.
Grow some herbs in your window that you can snip and use in your cooking.
Pick some flowers on your walk and display them in a vase. Decorate a room with natural textiles like silk, cotton and wood.
However you want to do it, it’s nice to have a token of nature indoors to remind you of your natural self.
Build a Fire & Cook On It
Gathering around a fire and cooking on it is a great way to get in touch with our primal and wild selves. We often do it without thinking about it at barbecues or bonfires.
We quite often focus more on the event or the will for food instead of the wonder and power of fire.
In the summertime, we may find ourselves cooking on the barbeque and eating outdoors without realising it. The sun is often the reason we do this, but we should actually try to do this a bit more. Spend a sunny morning drinking a cup of coffee outside, wrap up in a blanket if it’s a bit chilly but enjoy the morning air.
Organise a little get together around a controlled bonfire or firepit at home and cook some sausages or skewers over it. Build it and light it up yourself and invite people to take part in gathering logs and firewood.
Walk Where You Can
When I lived at home with my mum, I used to walk pretty much everywhere. We lived in a small village where everything was within walking distance. If she asked me to get her something from the shop or drop something off somewhere, I’d walk the distance.
I loved getting out and walking my dog and just enjoying being at peace in my own mind.
When I learned how to drive, I gradually started to become lazy. Places that I could walk to became a last minute journey in my car and I started relying on my car to get me to places.
When I went to university, I left my car behind and got back into the habit of using my legs more. I walked absolutely everywhere. I would make sure I was ready earlier than everyone else and would walk the distance. Even if I thought I may be a little late, I’d pick up the speed but still be walking.
I’d walk the long way home because it was scenic and I could explore different routes and parts of the town I hadn’t been to yet.
I was mindful of all around me and had the will to take it all in. It cleansed me and gave me a lot of time to myself to think and explore my own mind.
Walking not only gives you more opportunities and more time to notice the small things in nature than zooming past in a car does, but it is also a healthier and more natural way to travel.
Move Outside To Rewild Yourself
Humans used to move a great deal more than most of us do today. Now, we are bound to desks and offices or in front of the television for a good part of the day.
Movement is something we need to keep ourselves sane and healthy, though it gets ignored quite often.
Movement, especially outdoors not only helps you to connect to the world and rewild yourself, but also has huge physical and mental health benefits.
There are plenty of things you can do outdoors that will help you to become more grounded and connected with the natural world.
Our bodies are designed to be constantly moving outside of sleep and some move more than others. But we can argue that we don’t do this enough anyway and most of us choose to move indoors instead of out in nature.
There are so many different ways you can encourage yourself to start exercising outside.
You can start by exploring new hobbies and ways of exercising in the wild that you can only do outdoors such as surfing, paddleboarding and cycling. You may even meet more people who enjoy the outdoors as much as you, which can help with keeping you motivated to continue.
Instead of going to the gym to exercise, try taking your fitness outside and enjoy the benefits of time spent in the fresh air.
Try the ever increasing popularity of wild swimming too. Take a cold dip in the sea or a lake and watch the sun rise.
Research has shown that connecting with our ancestors by experiencing bouts of cold water like they did, can boost our mood, reduce stress levels and promote better immune and cardiovascular systems.
In fact, further medical research shows that there is a significant increase in serotonin while being immersed in cold water as well as when we’re out in nature. So exploring this way to rewild yourself has endless benefits!
If you’re not used to cold water or you usually enjoy a nice hot shower in the mornings, then start by steadily decreasing the temperature until you’re at an icy level and boosting that serotonin first thing in the morning.
Another way to move in nature is called ‘grounding’ or ‘earthing’ which is as simple as walking barefoot outside. Feel the ground beneath you, the cool texture of the pebbles on the beach or the tickle of the grass on your toes. This can also help you to destress, boost serotonin and balance your nervous system.
Think about how our ancestors would walk barefoot and physically connect to the natural world at every moment.
Of course, be careful of anything that is going to hurt your feet and make sure you don’t tread in anything icky! The best thing I would recommend is going to the park or the water’s edge of a lake or sea and taking a stroll.
And then there’s the simple ideas. Run, dance, stretch, walk in the fresh air and embrace your physical ability to move. Join an outdoor yoga or pilates group and still get out in the wind or rain.
Do whatever your body feels like doing and let go.
Celebrate The Seasonal Shifts
Each year we experience the same shifts in seasons; it’s the one thing we know is coming every year. The solar cycle of the year marks the summer and winter solstice, the equinox and the cross quarter days between the seasons.
It’s very easy to overlook these when you’re not aware of the dates, so familiarise yourself with them, mark them on your calendar and honour them in your own way.
These are all marks in our year that connect earth with the solar system and give us opportunities to stop and take notice of the changes in nature for that time of the year.
Halloween actually falls on one of the cross quarter days so if you’re not a fan of celebrating ghosts and ghouls, then choose to celebrate a day on the lunar calendar instead.
Encourage your family to learn more about the solar and lunar calendars and connect with the spirituality of what they represent. Our ancestors used the sun and moon as guides, so we cannot ignore the significance they have every day.
We may not notice the dark nights closing in, or how bright it is in the morning of the summer solstice. Sometimes, when we don’t realise how fast the seasons are changing, these things can come as a surprise to us.
Go Off The Grid To Rewild Yourself
Not completely. But you can if you want to.
I’m talking about disconnecting from the digital world for a while. I’m not expecting you to live off heat from a fire or to read by candlelight, but taking a break from social media or your phone or other electronics can really bring you back to nature.
These are all man made things that while they are significant inventions, can actually have more of a negative effect than we realise.
Since I can remember, mobile phones have existed. But my mum didn’t have one until later in her life. Many other people will remember the days when they didn’t have a television or landline. Now we can find multiple TVs and phones in most households!
This sort of technology was designed to improve our quality of life, to connect with people better and to entertain us. However, we have quickly learned as a species to rely on them for knowledge and entertainment, as an excuse to avoid physical connection with people and we can’t seem to let go of them very easily.
Think how many times you’ve left the house and five minutes later you’re scrambling around trying to find your phone in a panic. When really, we know that we will easily survive the day without it.
We may not realise it, but we are addicted to technology. So give yourself a little break from it.
We weren’t designed to consume as much digital media as we do today and part of learning to rewild yourself is about removing as much of your artificial lives as you’re comfortable with and connecting with nature.
Plan a day where you turn everything off for a while. Let people know you’re doing it so they don’t worry if they can’t get hold of you.
If you don’t want to completely let go of your phone, delete social media for a month and actively try to reduce your screen time.
Instead of turning on the television when you get home from work, do something else that is better for your body. Instead, choose to do one of the points I’ve mentioned above and become more mindful of the natural world.
Use the time where you’d normally be on your phone while walking to work or on the bus to put it away and look for things in nature.
You’ll notice a different level of peace that you probably haven’t experienced in a while.
Get Back Into a Natural Circadian Rhythm
With the invention of electricity, we managed to create artificial light. We stopped relying on the sun, moon and stars to tell us the time of day and when we should be waking and sleeping.
Though artificial light has gifted us longer days in the winter to be more productive, this isn’t the way that the natural seasons work.
Our natural circadian rhythm has been disrupted from this. Think back to last winter. As it gets darker earlier, you become more tired. This is our body’s natural reaction to the darker days, wanting to sleep earlier in the warmth of our houses, than being out in the danger of the dark.
There are other disadvantages too such as difficulty sleeping, sleepiness in the day, struggling to concentrate and irregular appetite.
To balance our circadian rhythms the way they are supposed to means getting out in as much natural light as we can and taking in the benefits it gives us, like the production of serotonin, regeneration of cells and improving sleep.
Sit next to a window and embrace the natural light of the day – in winter and summer. Feel more energised in the morning by getting into some light and increasing levels of cortisol. Reduce blue light exposure in the evenings to prevent overproduction of melatonin too.
I hope you’ve found some interesting ideas and I’ve woken your natural instincts to get outside and appreciate nature.
Remember, however you want to do it is a great step forwards. Start easy or plunge yourself right in.
And let me know how you get on by emailing me at lucy@mindsofjupiter.com or send me a message on Instagram or Facebook.
I want to hear how you are going to rewild yourself!
