Green therapy

Tara stood at the edge of the park adjoining her home. A piece of natural forest was preserved in its natural form. It was the place she had loved as a child and used to spend hours there hearing Nature sounds. Then she lost touch with it as she moved to a big city following her career dreams.

Initially it was fun absorbing the city vibes but soon the heartless crowd, cut- throat competition at work place and no time to hear her own voice , depleted her. And when Shekhar , her long time friend, decided to move abroad ,Tara was devastated. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to embrace the even busier city lifestyle. The plans they made together for future life seemed shaky. 

Her heart was heavy , weighed down by the invisible burden that had settled on her chest for months. Life had become an exhausting blur of routines , endless dull days blending into dark nights. Sadness has crept into her life as a shadow dimming her once vibrant world into the shades of grey. Every day felt like walking through a fog , thick and suffocating. Friends suggested therapy , meditation and distraction of various sorts but nothing could penetrate the numbness and exhaustion.

On that evening , Tara had drifted towards the forest . Something about the quiet  beckoned her now ….the noise of the world became too much to bear. The air was crisp and cool, the fading sunlight was casting long shadows through the trees. Tara paused at the edge, her heart pounding for reasons she couldn’t name. She followed the familiar mud trail until she reached the towering peepul tree, its leaves tinkling softly in the breeze. The warmth of her grandfather’s smile seemed to glow from its branches, as if asking, “Where were you for so long?” 

She stepped closer and leaned against the majestic trunk, like folding herself into her grandpa’s embrace.Her fingers brushed against the rough bark of the tree. The texture, cool and solid under her fingertips , instantly anchored her in the present moment. The feeling sent a surprising jolt through her - reminding her that she was still connected to the world around her, even if she felt completely disconnected inside.

She crouched down and placed her hands on earth. The damp soil felt soft and moist against her skin. For the first time in a very long period, she didn’t felt completely adrift. There was something steady about the ground beneath her, firm and unmoving. It felt like an anchor, something to hold onto when everything else was slipping away.

Tara sat there for a long time leaning against the old tree with her eyes closed.she opened her eyes after her turbulent mind calmed a little,she noticed the burst of colour around. At first it was just a sliver of green , a patch of moss illuminated by the setting sun. Then the forest floor came alive in hues of gold, amber and deep rich browns. She lay down to see a clear blue sky with flakes of fluffy white clouds and shades of green leaves spread like an umbrella over her . Pink, yellow ,purple  wildflowers peeked out , delicately swaying with the wind.

Tara was spellbound with the Nature’s palette of colours. For so long her world seemed colourless and muted,but here the Nature was vivid and unapologetically alive. Tara’s eyes lingered on the details- the intricate veins of a leaf , the way the light danced across the water of a small creek , she hadn’t noticed until now. She felt her chest expand with each breath,as if the colours themselves were infusing her with something she hadn’t felt for a long time - a small,tentative sense of wonder.

Tara closed her eyes again . The quiet enveloped her , a stark contrast to the noise that had been swirling inside her mind. As she listened more closely, she began to hear the sounds of the forest,a symphony of life all around her. It started with the rustling of the leaves, a soft rhythmic sound as the breeze moved through the branches above. Then the birds began their serenade - a symphony of chirps,trills and melodies cascading through the air. A nearby stream gurgled,its water splashing over stones, playing a gentle song that soothed her jangled nerves. A squirrel darted across the path, its tiny paws making soft crackling sound on the fallen leaves. The sounds layered upon each other - the hum of the insects, the bird chirps and the breeze whispering through leaves.

The noises in her head, the relentless stream of negative thoughts began to quiet as she focused on the sounds around her. Each rustle,each chirp,each soft murmur of the wind felt like a note in a song. One that soothed the chaos in her mind. It was a serenity that demanded nothing from her , it was a quiet that invited her to simply listen,to let go of the need to fill the space with words or thoughts.

After a very very long time , Tara felt a sense of peace. The world didn’t need her to be anything other than what she was in this moment- a part of the forest,a small piece of something much larger. The sounds of Nature wrapped around her like a warm blanket, offering comfort without asking anything in return.

Back home she had slept deep and uninterrupted that night. She felt a little more alive and fresh in the morning. She really regretted not going to the park earlier. Her childhood memories came rushing back to her when life was so very different and beautiful.

Her visits to her favourite place became regular and her talks with earth,sky,trees,birds and butter resumed synchronising her heart with Nature. She breathed easy and deep here , filling her lungs with the cool,crisp air. The citrusy fragrance of pine mingled with earthy scent of damp soil and the faint sweetness of wildflowers. It filled her with a sense of clarity ,pushing out the lingering fog that had clouded her mind for so long. Each breath felt like a small cleansing, a reminder that there was still life all around her,even when she felt stuck in a place.

The lavender scent - light and calming,coming from a nearby patch triggered a memory. One ,she hadn’t thought of in years. She remembered her Grandmother,who had always kept lavender sachets in her drawers , the comforting smell of them lingering in her clothes. Her grandmother used to rub lavender oil on her temples when she couldn’t sleep as a child, the scent soothing her into peaceful dreams.

The same feeling of comfort wrapped around her now,as if Mother Nature itself was offering her balm for her soul. The smell of the forest - earthy , fresh ,alive - was a reminder that the world could still be delightful , even when everything inside her felt broken. 

As Tara was returning back one evening, she stumbled upon a berry bush , its red plump berries hanging heavy on the vines. She hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should pick them up , but something about their ripeness beckoned her. She reached out and plucked one, rolling it between her fingers before popping it into her mouth. The burst of sweetness on her tongue was unexpected,sharp and tangy,a stark contrast to the dullness she had been living with. It was such a small thing,but the taste of berry filled her senses with life. She had lost interest in eating , food lost its appeal and taste. But this was real , vibrant and alive ! 

Day after day Tara returned to this place .She made it her sanctuary,her quite refuge from the world.she would walk the same paths , touch and hug the same trees, breathe in the same fresh air but each time it felt different- each time,she felt a little more alive.

Her sadness sometimes still overpowered her , there were dark days. But now she knew a way to heal , not through force or willpower,but through the natural life forces.
Slowly Tara is finding her way back to herself, one step , one breath,one sensation at a time.