Hello! I'm JennieI am a teacher and a student at heart, and enjoy learning new things every day. I have an innate sense of cat-like curiosity that leads me to notice and enjoy the small beauties in life. I have a degree in Journalism with emphasis on Media Studies, as I love studying why people do the things they do. This love of studying people led me to teaching and learning how children think and grow. Children are the masters of noticing the world around them, and seeing things that adults don’t notice because we’re so busy. They have been my best teachers, and have taught me the importance of slowing down.
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My Mental Health Journey
My world fell apart in 2008. I survived my husband leaving me unexpectedly, and then becoming pregnant on the rebound, all while moving towns and starting a new job. The stress settled in my appendix, which painfully came out at the end of that year, just weeks before finding out I was pregnant. Since then, I’ve learned to live on the tightest budgets of my life, while filing for bankruptcy and working full time as a single mom and a teacher, and raising my son alone.
Every day I was fighting what I call the downward spiral of depression. All I wanted to do was go to bed and avoid adulting, and I stayed there as often as I could. The shame and guilt became overwhelming burdens I struggled with every day. The problem was that avoiding life led to more avoiding life, which led to more and more depression. A vicious cycle that maybe some of you are familiar with. I recently learned a term for this long-term depression I’ve been dealing with for over a decade: Persistent Depressive Disorder.
Every day I was fighting what I call the downward spiral of depression. All I wanted to do was go to bed and avoid adulting, and I stayed there as often as I could. The shame and guilt became overwhelming burdens I struggled with every day. The problem was that avoiding life led to more avoiding life, which led to more and more depression. A vicious cycle that maybe some of you are familiar with. I recently learned a term for this long-term depression I’ve been dealing with for over a decade: Persistent Depressive Disorder.
My World Post-COVID
My son is 12 now, and when COVID hit and we went into lockdown, we both did surprisingly well. I was worried that the downward spiral would appear again, like it still does every summer vacation when I no longer have structure to my days, but it didn’t.
The whole world was given permission to slow down, and give themselves grace to do nothing.
I no longer felt like I needed to do all the things (and spend all the money) that were contributing to my depression, and I wasn’t spending my precious introverted energy being around people and kids all day, so I had energy to spare in the evenings. My son could relax more with less time constraints on his learning, and could take breaks and work whenever he chose. Of course, I learned quickly that not everyone was doing so well, and while others missed the hustle and bustle of life, I continued to feel calm and fulfilled. I've learned that doing nothing is my superpower.
My Love of Nature |
I’ve been a lover of nature my whole life, and so as a teacher, incorporating nature into my teaching has been essential. I worked at summer camps in Colorado for years as a young adult, and have run my own nature camps in Austin, TX through Nature’s Wonder Camps for the past few years. I’ve also worked with Austin Families in Nature to take families out into nature for many different experiences around central Texas. I’ve gotten to see first hand the amazing discoveries and learning that comes out of unstructured time in nature with kids, and I want to now share the joys of unstructured time in nature with more adults.
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Looking Ahead to Niksen NatureI see how important nature has been for my healing. From summer camp in Colorado as a child to walking to the park after a rough day at work. Whether it’s just day to day interactions, or longer excursions, nature has helped heal me in so many ways. I hope to help you slow your days down just a bit, and help you connect to those parts of yourself that are maybe hidden under layers of stress. I hope to show you the inspiring creativity and ideas that can come from unstructured time in nature, so that you can prioritize and create more of what’s important to you in your life. Nature is an amazing healer, and I look forward to guiding you on your journey to calm.
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