What’s your prescription?

Recently, I have been delivering a programme on Rest and one the practices that we do is setting our personal prescriptions. What does this mean?  To begin with, it’s an exercise taken from Claudia Hammond who is a BBC radio presenter and delivers the podcast ‘All in the Mind’. It’s the practice of what she describes as creating our “personalised prescription for the right dose of rest for our individual needs”. These needs can vary between physical, emotional, spiritual, sensory, social, artistic or mental. This past week, as I have been recovering from a long overdue medical procedure, my needs have been primarily physical and my personal prescription has reflected this. However, what’s been most interesting is the knock on effect of meeting these needs.

When I was discharged from hospital, I was handed a script, along with the instructions for rest and gentle walking. What wasn’t included was time spent with fresh air, sunshine or nature. In Victorian times, this was advice given by doctors on the discharge of a patient. In fact,  the prescription for sunshine, fresh air or what doctor’s called a ‘Change of Air’, has been credited as the genesis of what Richard E. Morris calls the “modern pleasure holiday”. Yet, this wasn’t mentioned by the most helpful team who were charged with my care. Perhaps, it would have come up at some point, if I were in longer. Thankfully, I already had it in mind.

I was fortunate to have my convalescent period during what has been one of the nicest weather weeks of the year. Over here in Ireland, there has been wall to wall sunshine from morning until night. I couldn’t get a bigger dose of Vitamin D!  And it was this sunshine that encouraged me out into the garden each day for a morning cup of tea. In the garden, I was surrounded by light,  the new growth on my perennials and the most glorious of birdsong. Most importantly, it was the melodic soundscape that not only soothed the rough edges of recovery, but also filled my heart with hope.

My heart was feeling so joyous during these early morning tea breaks that I was inspired to look into the mental and physical benefits of birdsong. I mean, I have always enjoyed watching the birds at my feeder and rising early on International Dawn Chorus day (first Sunday in May) to hear mother nature’s OG choir; but this was something different. It felt healing.

A quick Google search delivered a whole list of articles on the benefits of birdsong. Some were general in that they discussed the fact that nature in itself is healing. One article highlighted a study which found that simply having a room with a window -view of nature shortened hospital stays and reduced the need for pain relief, (post-surgery). It also stated that birdsong has the potential to reduce anxiety, mental fatigue and stress. However, it depends on the birdsong. The screech of a Jay or a Magpie could have the opposite effect!

In my case, the soft, melodious sound of Dunnocks, Robins, Finches and Doves was like a warm washcloth on my heart. It lifted my spirits, energised my body and was an integral part of my post procedure healing. It was almost like a happiness pill. This is exactly the motivation that I need to make nature a permanent part of my prescription, whether I am post procedure or looking for day to day rest upkeep.

This Tuesday, at the Sanctuary’s 10am online meditation session, I thought I would guide a meditation in which we reflect on what our personalised prescription for rest might look like and how can we build nature into it. Perhaps, like me, it could look like 5 minutes a day of simply allowing birdsong to wash over you. I wonder if it would have any effect on your mental health. It seems like it could be a fun experiment. Why not join me?

-Jane

To listen to a moment of early morning birdsong from my garden, click the link below:

Click here to join me at the Sanctuary’s online meditation session on Tuesday morning at 10am