Woman meditates under same oak tree daily for a year to recover from burnout
8 reported
A woman who moved to Clevedon, near Bristol, in 2022 began sitting under an oak tree behind her flat after experiencing burnout from running a nonprofit tackling plastic pollution for 10 years. She decided to meditate under the same tree every day for a year, starting on the winter solstice of 2023. The first few months felt heavy and bleak, with rain and storms, but she persisted, spending 10 minutes sitting still and then meditating for 20-30 minutes. Spring brought a sense of hope as daffodils and forget-me-nots appeared, and she witnessed micro changes in nature, such as the arrival of crickets and swifts. By summer, she realized she needed to slow down and reconnect with nature, and her mental and physical health improved, with her backache gone and her sense of peace and happiness increasing. She completed the challenge on the winter solstice of 2024, singing her thanks to the tree with her guitar, and now visits the tree most days, though she tends to skip rainy ones.
What’s reported
The woman moved to Clevedon, near Bristol, in 2022 and started sitting under an oak tree behind her flat.
She was burned out after running a nonprofit tackling plastic pollution for 10 years, which achieved bans on plastic cutlery, polystyrene takeaway packaging, and plastic cotton buds.
She decided to meditate under the same tree every day for a year, starting on the winter solstice of 2023.
She spent the first 10 minutes sitting still and then meditated for 20-30 minutes, writing notes and a poem afterward.
Spring brought daffodils and forget-me-nots, and she observed micro changes in nature, including the arrival of crickets and swifts.
Her mental and physical health improved, with backache gone and a sense of peace and happiness increased.
She completed the challenge on the winter solstice of 2024, singing her thanks to the tree with her guitar.
She still visits the tree most days but tends to skip rainy ones.
Key figures
The woman (not named in the article)
Sources: The Guardian
