Preparation and Integration in Your Process of Healing
As an Icelander, I’ve always known the power of nature. Nature isn’t just something I visit, it’s part of who I am. Growing up on this raw and beautiful island in the North Atlantic, I’ve learned firsthand what nature can do for the human spirit. Iceland’s landscape is powerful and diverse: lava fields, volcanic mountains, glaciers, deep fjords, beaches made of black sand or polished stones, crashing waves, quiet woods. Because we are few, we often have it to ourselves, and perhaps the best part, we don’t have to go far. It’s right there, in our backyard. Often, we don’t need a car or a long plan. Just a step outside, and nature greets us.
But you don’t have to live in Iceland to feel this. Wherever you are, nature has something to offer. And when we approach it with care, simplicity, and openness, it becomes a powerful partner in our process of healing.
But what is it that nature does for us? And more importantly, how can we consciously integrate it into our healing journey?
Nature as Medicine
Spending time in nature isn’t just good for us, it’s essential. Science increasingly supports what our hearts have always known: being in natural spaces reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, lifts our mood, and even boosts creativity and memory. For those of us seeking healing, whether from burnout, loss, anxiety, or simply the fatigue of modern life, nature offers a space to reset.
Preparing for Time in Nature: Let Go to Let In
To receive what nature offers, we must first let go.
- Leave your phone behind, or switch it off.
- Try not to listen to music or podcasts. Let your ears tune into the world around you – the wind, the birds, the sound of your own breath.
- Set an intention, even something as simple as: “I want to feel more grounded,” or “I just need space to breathe.”
This is your moment to unplug from noise and return to something deeper.
Ways to Engage With Nature for Healing
Nature is not a one-size-fits-all experience. Here are different ways you can meet it, and let it meet you:
1. Move Through It
Whether you choose a quiet path in the woods, a rugged mountain trail, or a long stretch of beach, movement in nature invites us to come back into our bodies. It’s a way to physically and mentally release tension, especially when paired with intentional breathing or mindfulness.
2. Sit With It
Find a spot: under a tree, by a river, on a warm rock. Let the natural sounds guide your focus. The rhythm of wind, water, and birdsong has a way of softening inner noise and inviting presence. Just sit. Breathe. Listen.
3. Write With It
Writing outside can give our thoughts a new rhythm. There’s something about fresh air and open skies that opens us up, too. Bring a notebook. Journal what you feel, observe what you see. Nature often brings clarity, sometimes answers, sometimes better questions.
4. Touch It
Walking barefoot on grass, hugging a tree, lying on the ground, all of these practices connect us directly with the earth. This isn’t just symbolic. “Earthing” has been shown to reduce inflammation and improve sleep. It also reminds us that we belong here.
5. Clearing Your Head
Sometimes, no agenda is the best one. Just sit. Just be. Watch clouds move, waves roll, or snow fall. Let your thoughts come and go. Let the silence or the wind carry away what no longer serves you.
6. Adventure and Joy
Healing doesn’t always have to be still. It can be found in adrenaline and joy, skiing down a slope, kayaking on a fjord, swimming in the cold ocean. These acts reconnect us with our vitality, courage, and aliveness. They remind us that healing can also be exhilarating.
Integration: Bringing Nature Back With You
Integration is what happens after. It’s how you bring the clarity or calm you found outdoors back into your daily life. It might be a habit, a weekly walk in your favorite spot, or a small ritual, like lighting a candle with a stone or leaf you brought back. Maybe it’s just remembering the feeling of standing on a mountain when life gets loud again.
I’ve had many emotional moments in nature during my own healing process. When I feel something heavy building inside me, grief, anger, or confusion, there is no place more supportive than nature. The stillness, the vastness, the quiet presence of the land, it all holds space for whatever needs to move through me. Sometimes I scream as loud as I can. Sometimes I cry my eyes out. Other times, I just walk until my thoughts begin to settle, and answers I didn’t know I was seeking start to surface.
Just the day before yesterday, I was running in the woods, and the idea for writing about the power of nature came to me. It reminded me again how much inspiration I receive after spending time outside. Nature doesn’t just calm or hold us, it also awakens creativity and clarity. It helps us process what we feel and invites us to express it.
Nature witnesses us without judgment. And that witnessing can be incredibly healing.
Nature Is Always There
Whether we seek solitude, inspiration, or deep healing, nature holds us without asking for anything in return. It invites us back to ourselves—softly, patiently, and without judgment.
In Iceland, we are lucky to live so close to raw and untouched nature. But nature doesn’t have to be wild to be powerful. A city park, a quiet garden, a nearby hill – all of it can be medicine if we approach it with care and presence.
Healing is not linear. But nature reminds us that all things change with seasons, that beauty often follows stillness, and that we are always part of something greater.
So wherever you are, choose one small way to meet nature today. A short walk, a moment on your balcony, or simply standing under the sky. Begin there.
Holistic Wellbeings 
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