Listening and bird watching
January was a tough month for so many people for so many reasons. I know that whether we met in person or online, many tissues were used, many slow breathing guided meditations took place, and many times I felt like I was not able to provide real comfort. Instead I focused on being what I could in those moments - an active listener, empathizing with the stress and distress, and validating that your feelings are valid.
Listening is one of the most important parts, if not the most important part, of counseling. To stay present, reflect your feelings, process your present and align it with your past experiences to look for patterns, and use logical and emotional reasoning all at once is a beautiful part of the experience for me. It feels very rewarding and lovely when I’m in a rested and relaxed place myself. But when I am overwhelmed or stressed, it can be much harder for me to find that sweet spot between listening to your pain and absorbing for myself. Yes, even therapists struggle with emotional boundaries, especially when we are not taking good care of ourselves.
I know that my time off is essential to my own well-being and my ability to be present and be the good listener I need to be. I have started knitting again and I try to have quiet meditation music playing as often as possible. I create a soft environment for myself by keeping the lights low, a warm blanket on my lap, and making herbal tea. I also like to get fresh air, but sometimes it is hard to be motivated to go outside when the weather is gray and drab.
That is one of the reasons why I got so excited when I received an email from the Peters Township Library about the upcoming Great Backyard Bird Count starting February 14th and running until February 17th.
“Project Goal
Each February, for four days, the world comes together for the love of birds. Over these four days we invite people to spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find and reporting them to us. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations.
Our History
Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) was the first online participatory-science project (also referred to as community science or citizen science) to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real time. Birds Canada joined the project in 2009 to provide an expanded capacity to support participation in Canada. In 2013, we became a global project when we began entering data into eBird, the world’s largest biodiversity-related participatory science (community science or citizen science) project.”
I’m not a professional bird watcher by any means, but I do love to see the cardinals, finches, and robins visit my backyard. I’m excited to see how many birds I can count over the weekend and maybe I’ll have some surprises.
If you are shaking your head and thinking, “Wow, she is losing it,” just think about this image: sitting on a porch with a cup of hot tea, cozy in as many layers as makes it comfortable to be there for 15 minutes, closing your eyes, and listening for the songs of birds. Or scanning the sky and the nearby trees and bushes for darting movements as the birds flit around. Your home may not be in a location that works for this project due to excessive traffic noise or other obstacles, but I’d bet there’s an area relatively nearby that you could drive to and sit in your car, window down, listening and watching.
Maybe it appeals to me because it’s a different kind of listening than what I do every weekday. Maybe I’m drawn to quiet hobbies like knitting and bird watching because they give my mind a chance to recharge and rest. Regardless of the reason, a weekend focusing on the tiny, and not so tiny, birds that might be flying nearby sounds like a lovely way for me to spend my time. Maybe you’ll decide it’s a lovely way to spend yours, too.
If you are struggling with high stress or despair, please stay safe. Use the following resources if you fear that you may not be safe:
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255
Local Mental Health Crisis Resources
Allegheny County: ReSolve 888-796-8226
Beaver County: 724-371-8060
Butler County: 844-427-4747
Washington County: 877-225-3567
Westmoreland County: 800-836-6010
