Look to the Cosmos to Fill Your Bucket

(read time: 2 min)

My 6 year-old, Georgia, told me something wonderful. She said her teacher asks the students how full their buckets are, everyday. I started thinking about when my bucket is full. And what I do when its not. For me, its quiet time outside at night. Letting the enormity of the cosmos wash over me is like a a dip in a cool lake on a hot day. It is equally reviving and calming.

YOUR BOOST

Go outside after dark and look up at the stars. Breath deeply, and feel known and loved by the universe. And know that you are perfect exactly how your are. The world is wide, the universe vast, and you are an integral part of its movement.

THE SCIENCE

Ecotherapy, as a term, is fairly new. Stargazing is one form of ecotherapy that neuroscientists, astronomers and psychologists alike are beginning to study and understand in the context of mental health. We all are familiar with research demonstrating that time in nature has positive effects on decreasing stress. But newer findings in psychology speak to the role of the sense of awe, like what you feel when you look deeply into the night sky, in both mental wellness and also gratitude leading to altruism.

TAKE HOME

Take a moment tonight to fill your bucket with the overwhelming love of the universe. You matter. You are here for a reason. You are safe and loved. And then bring that feeling back inside your home to wrap your children in, like a warm blanket on a cool night. They too will know they are safe and loved.

No shame, no guilt, just more good days.

-Nicole