Maybe this is my transformation journey or maybe I’m just like many of you: a burnout in search of some relaxation techniques…I may have mentioned this topic a few times this year and I may mention it very often from now on too, because nature is becoming a major part of my life and its been proven that it plays an important role in my professional efficiency. 

And when I think about my last mountain trip (which included sleeping in a tent) and realize it happened  more than 10 years ago…I was convinced that I’m totally a city person, a lover of organized vegetation, from parks to private gardens. God, I can still taste the feeling I had back then, my feet hurting so badly from walking in the forest for miles, sleeping in a tent…the whole night I imagined sleeping besides snakes and lizards, in was not my thing at all.

It all began this Spring, when I was diagnosed with exhaustion and minor anxiety attacks.

Fuck, I’m only 31 years old, fuck, fuck, fuck…I have to do something, I have to do something. Panicked, thoughts were running wildly through my mind.

It took me half-a-day of crying, a bottle of gin tonic, a discussion with Mittens and a meeting with Zagorca (our guru psychologist) to realize that I knew the theory, but this time I truly sucked at implementing it. All that yoga, healthy eating, meditation, sport, massage, nature, they were just a list in my notebook. A list which got rewritten every year, in a different notebook and that was about it. I was thriving in my business life, but I was failing at keeping a healthy and balanced mind. I was becoming a workaholic with health problems, which pilled, one by one, at the speed of light. 

And then, I paused, for no more than 2 minutes and listened to it. I listened to my Instinct. Some call it protective angel or intuition. Fact is that I always had an inner voice which, in my darkest moments, told me so powerfully and clearly what to do. So I listened to my Instinct. Something had to be done.

Modern society doesn’t exactly make it easy to live a natural lifestyle. In fact, we have so many great conveniences at our disposal that some people consider it downright silly to reject them.

I began spending at least one day per week in nature and once every two days, I took a walk in the woods near the city. I downloaded mindfulness apps, tested around 6 and stopped at Headspace  (POP ), I’ve read countless articles about sleep and yoga and why eating clean is key and little by little, I began implementing these aspects into my lifestyle, at my own pace. 

Andra Andreescu dress – Smiling Shoes ballerinas – Prada sunglasses – PNK Casual tassel 

Photos by Emil Costrut

There’s much to be said about what happened from March until today, what kind of challenges I faced during this transformation process and most importantly, what revelations transformed my mind and my lifestyle, but I’m going to start with the most harmonious of them: Nature.

Here’s what happened to my mind and body, after these often nature trips or walks (doctor confirmed), which I took as often as I could:

• Restored mental energy

• Stress relief

• Reduced inflammation

• Focused attention

• Sharper thinking and creativity

• Immune system boost

  • Oxygen intake for cardiovascular health

And the most important thing that I realized, is that spending time in nature reduces my anger, fears and stress and refreshes my mind instantly. 

Living naturally is a PROCESS, not an event and I’m still discovering the details, but what I know for sure and dare to recommend this new way of life. Proves to be very efficient for my state of well-being. Goodbye heart palpitations.