Category Nurture

Like nature all around us, we’ve had a busy autumn. We have been frantically storing autumn’s bounty, socialising in the warm weather and ticking off to-do lists. We are ready to curl up in a warm spot and hibernate. But how do we surrender to rest, when it feels like there’s so much to do?

While our work has the incredible potential to be fulfilling and take us where our heart leads, it can sometimes become overwhelming and feel like there’s too much to do right now. Rest can slip right down to the end of the priority list, so it’s important to keep tabs on what working sustainably looks like for you.

We work in a world that celebrates toxic productivity, and we’re made to feel like resting is lazy and that we have to complete a heroic amount of work to deserve it. But we don’t. Rest is a right, not a reward.

Completely natural and long lasting, jojoba oil is an excellent choice for nourishing your face, body, hair and nails as it mimics the naturally occurring oils in our skin.

Pronounced ho-ho-ba, jojoba oil can be used in so many ways for everyone’s skincare routine. It’s a natural, gentle and effective way to take care of all skin types – including sensitive, dry, oily, blemished or mature skin.

Jojoba has a unique botanical chemistry that makes it very versatile and well-suited for human skin on its own. As well as being an effective all-over moisturiser for everyone including babies, jojoba oil can be used as makeup remover, a hair and beard treatment, nail oil or to help reduce scars and stretch marks.

Many answers to how we can live long and happy lives can be found by looking at the common traits of the communities in the world with the longest-living populations.

There has been a lot of talk lately about what helps us live to a ripe old age and how we can enjoy health and happiness along the way. And it seems that the answers are surprisingly simple.

It doesn’t require fancy diets, expensive supplements or well-intentioned gym memberships. If we look to the ‘blue zones’, which are regions of the world with the highest concentration of centenarians, we find common traits exist across these communities. And although genetics does play a part in the likelihood of us living longer, it only accounts for 25 percent of factors that affect ageing.

An overwhelmingly positive response to Robyn’s honest and revealing feature last issue speaking to the idea that we can’t do it all and that that’s okay got the Pip team thinking about the importance of self care.

In a world where success is often defined by how busy we are, putting aside time for ourselves is difficult when our families, our jobs, our values and our responsibilities are always competing for our attention. And yes, it feels really good when the family is happy, the boss is impressed, there’s bread in the oven and the volunteering you did at the community event was very well received, but at what cost? Our measure of success is all too often what we’re doing for everyone else, which can lead to feelings of guilt or selfishness if we do afford ourselves a bit of time.

But as we at Pip realised when we asked one another what self care means to us, the most important thing is just that; allowing yourself the time and the space in your brain to consciously take a moment and turn some attention and some kindness back towards yourself.

When we try to live our best life each and every day, things can get overwhelming. Just don’t let the thing that has to give be your own wellbeing.

In an ideal world, we are doing it all. We’re practising all the old homesteading techniques our grandparents did. We’re baking bread, growing food, preserving produce, making and mending clothes and other belongings, all while being fantastic humans. Humans who are available for our kids, partners, friends, family and communities and at the same time, running businesses or working full time, not to mention looking after our own wellbeing.

It’s a lot to fit in and when we try and do it all, we can end up feeling exhausted.

Farm My School is an initiative aiming to transform unused land within schools into regenerative market gardens, to grow community, educate youth and produce affordable nutrient-dense food.

Two men with a vision have built a farm at a secondary school in regional Victoria. Created on a 1.5-acre disused soccer field at Bellarine Secondary College (BSC) in October 2022, the farm was established by local community members in a record 24-hour period.

It’s the pilot project of a newly launched initiative called Farm My School (FMS), which is the brainchild of permaculturists Ben Shaw and James McLennan. The pair partnered with the school community and Bellarine Community Health to bring their plan to life.

Climate anxiety is rife among young people right now. On Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula, a rundown corner of a carpark is helping youth understand how small actions can lead to big changes.

On a small pocket of disused land in rural Victoria, a quiet youth-led revolution is taking place. An ugly patch of

land behind the Ocean Grove Library’s carpark has been transformed into a vibrant Youth Guerrilla Garden where local teenagers grow, tend and harvest produce.

The project is the brainchild of community planner and teacher, Fiona Cadorel, who was inspired by US-based guerrilla gardener Ron Finley. Fiona, part of Bellarine Community Health’s Healthy and Connected Communities team, is passionate about engaging and supporting youth.

Science is starting to catch up with what gardeners already know – growing food and caring for a garden is hugely beneficial for the body, mind and spirit.

Research is still unravelling the mysteries of the human microbiome, but it’s certain that getting your hands dirty in the soil is really good for you. According to the Austrian Institute of Soil Research, soil and the human gut contain roughly the same amount of microorganisms. However human gut microbiome diversity is only 10 percent that of soil, and even that has decreased dramatically with the hygiene associated with today’s lifestyle. One 2019 study noted that soil ‘was essential in the evolution of the human gut microbiome and it is a major inoculant and provider of beneficial gut microorganisms.’

Humans are by nature inclined to repeat their practices. It keeps us calm, builds confidence and assures us of who we are. We challenge, question, encourage and participate in the activities that lift us up and fill our cup. This is ritual.

The way we live our lives is based on our deeply-held values which have evolved through kinship, memory markers and our desire for what’s to come. Ritual is creating patterns and rhythms, rites of passage and process. Sometimes alone for deep nourishment, growth and healing and sometimes with your people for tomfoolery, conviviality and another point of view. They are repetitious and cathartic.