DAY 6: PHOTO WALKS AS SELF-CARE

Have you gone out on your photo walk yet? If not... give it a try and come back to this worksheet after. Photo walks aren't just for days we FEEL like going. Offer yourself this kind of self-care today and see if it shifts your day or what you discover around you!

HOW DID YOUR PHOTO WALK FEEL? WERE YOU RESISTANT TO GOING AT ALL? HOW DID IT FEEL DURING AND AFTER?

From June 6, 2022: I’ve been #walking for two hours now. Just hit 8km as the midnight hour nears, with a waxing crescent laying on the black blanket of a cloudless sky high overhead. It was bright enough to illuminate the trails and the foliage of the Sunnyside Urban Forrest as I started my walk. As I pass 8km, I feel a bit of pain in my lower back, and in my lower legs.

The air is cool tonight, on the eve of the seventh of June, 2022. At one point, the slight moisture in the air holds the smell of freshly cut grass. In some places the sidewalks are littered with fallen samaras from the maple trees. I almost didn’t do this. I was so behind in my art history course with assignment 3, but somehow I got it done. Even though I’ll end up losing 55% on it. But this walk has been invigorating. Tiring too. It’s also awakened a part of my soul that had been slipping down into depression.

Photo walks are wonderful when the sun is shining, we've got lots of time and life is good. But if we only offer ourselves this kind of self-care when we're all good, we miss out on the opportunity to allow it to nourish the days when we aren' t feeling that way. I'm glad you gave it a try today...did you end up coming home feeling like it shifted your day? I know it often does for me.

LET'S BRAINSTORM SOME OTHER TIMES AND PLACES YOU COULD GO ON A SELF-CARE PHOTO WALK? SPILL SOME IDEAS HERE!

When are some times or places you'd like to invite in this practice in the future? Maybe a lunch break or when you're walking your dog? It can be a few minutes while you're waiting for someone or you can take a longer time another day. What about places. In the coming days notice some places both grand and simple near you that could be fun to explore!

I definitely want to start bringing my little white Maltese poodle Kira with me as the summer months warm up. I’ve been walking at night but could walk earlier in the day, as the sun is lower in the sky and it’s not too warm or too cold for my little one with her fine hair that doesn’t provide her with much warmth. She gets cold easily and that’s always been a worry for me. By contrast, I have to be careful that she’s not out in the sun too much as she could burn.

There are other places in Metro Vancouver where I’d like to walk. My friend Shannon takes her dogs on walks and hikes to different places around the lower mainland of British Columbia. We have so many beautiful parks and wilderness areas to visit.

Other ways I can try to incorporate more steps into my day include parking further away from a destination, like a cafe or grocery store. In some cases that would help protect my vehicle from being dinged as usually people park as close as they can to a store at the mall. I’ve also tried to take the stairs in buildings where possible, as opposed to elevators or escalators. One thing that’s always puzzled me are people who choose to walk up an escalator, pushing past others, while there’s a perfectly good and empty staircase next to the escalator. But I digress.

Today’s photo saw me interact with and appreciate the trees I past. With each tree, I took several minutes to feel the texture of each trees surface, letting my life force energy en and flow between myself and the tree. It was a grounding experience that I’ve done before, but not in a long time. I’ll try and do this daily from now on.

157/365.

This was initially posted on Instagram and Flickr.

Today’s photo prompt and reflective journaling questions for today was a part of the BE YOUR OWN BELOVED photo workshop challenge which is run several times throughout the year by photographer VIVIENNE McMASTER. It’s well worth signing up for, and doing alongside other participants.

#beyourownbeloved💖 #depressionhelp #depressionawareness #startingover #selflove #selflovejourney #selflove #dailyselfie #dailywriting #subvertedselfies #subvertedselfie #art #photography #sad #depressed