Honouring yourself daily

Mel Fourie suggests ancient wellness practices to focus on yourself and give yourself the honour you deserve.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

The modern world is moving to a different rhythm. Our ancestor’s lives were slower and they lived in tune with natural cycles that we in modern societies have become so far removed and disconnected from. 

We are moving at such speed that the art of conversation and listening has been narrowed down to 15 seconds. Anxiety and depression, stress, and insomnia are endemic. Our overactive brains never switch off and even when we sleep, we find our brains trying to process and rationalise the overwhelment. Our bodies have shifted into an unsustainable survival mode, and some of us have begun the slippery slope towards imbalance, unwellness, or disease. 

What life really is about

My wellness journey saw me exit the city and leave behind a more formal career that, as so many do, fulfilled the material facets of life while preventing a more natural way of being. I left the city and immersed myself into the wild spaces in service to the beautiful Zulu community. I finally walked barefoot and spent nights sleeping on the ground, waking up to the sound of drums and voices as the women of The Valley of a Thousand Hills burst into celebration of a new day. Finally, I exhaled and realised, this is it, this is what life is about. Rewilding was a fundamental part of my healing journey.

Rewilding

A new movement, Rewilding, institutes living more deliberately, embracing the old ways, reminding you that you are a fundamental part of the natural world. You are not separate from it and never have been. Somewhere deep inside you, if you become still enough, you can activate and tap into the indigenous knowledge locked into your DNA. By listening to that wisdom, you can meet your true self. Connecting with nature raises your consciousness, builds resilience, and allows you to move through the world with unshakable calm. 

We don’t all get to exit reality and leave it all behind us, and I’m forever grateful for my wilder experiences. You can, however, embody ancient wellness practices that allow you to connect with nature (even in your urban environments) and begin blending the artificial way of life with organic ways of living, to find the balance between “one foot in the city with the other longing to be elsewhere.

Ancient wellness practices to focus on yourself

• Embrace a morning ritual; not a kind of taboo ritual, but rather that rituals are acts that you repeat over time. Making a cup of healing tea and sipping it slowly is a soothing way to turn inwards and set an intention for the rest of your day.
• Grounding, also known as earthing, is the practice of walking barefoot and connecting with the earth. Science has shown that connecting with nature restores, rejuvenates, and energises the body. 
• Mindful decoupling is a practice that activates the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing you to slow down and come back to your natural state of calm. Try this: Close your eyes. Take a deep breath, and a nice slow exhale. Take another deep breath. Pause. Fall in love. And stay there. Exhale and bring yourself back to the here and now. How do you feel? 

There are many wonderful everyday practices, from gratitude to journaling. Attending a sound bath session or yoga. Enjoying a picnic under the shade of an old tree. No matter how you choose to honour yourself – do choose to honour yourself daily.” 

Header image by Freepik