Happy September Reader!

Although St. Louis seems to be celebrating by heading right back into the 100s. 🥵 So much for all my romantic thoughts about crisp mornings and the beginning of fall.

Maybe it’s the heat, maybe it’s the end of the day, but my brain feels a little fried tonight. Which has me thinking about attention and that very particular kind of tired where you haven’t necessarily done anything physically exhausting, but your brain is just…done.

Too many tabs open, decision fatigue is peaking, and there are still too many things asking you to look here, respond to this, remember that, figure something out etc...

And then, because we are very logical creatures, we often respond by giving ourselves even MORE things to look at. You know what I'm referring to right?

I know I do it. I’ll finish working, pick up my phone to “take a break,” and 20 minutes later I’ve consumed who knows how many completely unrelated pieces of information. Maybe I laughed at a few things or learned something interesting, but I’m sure my attention did NOT get much of a break.

There’s actually a term I really love that helps explain why spending time in nature can feel so different and it's called soft fascination.

It comes from something called Attention Restoration Theory (developed by researchers Rachel and Stephen Kaplan). The basic idea is that nature can hold our attention without requiring the same kind of effort we use all day to concentrate, make decisions, tune out distractions, and keep redirecting ourselves back to whatever needs to get done.

Think about watching clouds move across the sky, following a bird through the branches, staring into a fire, watching water move, or noticing the wind travel through tall grass.

Something has your attention, but you aren’t having to manage your attention. You’re not trying to remember anything, solve anything, respond to anything, or decide what comes next.

Your attention gets to be interested without having a job.

And after a day when our attention has had a LOT of jobs, that can feel pretty good. So this week, instead of asking you to focus your attention, I want to invite you to let it wander.

🌿 This week's invitation

Sometime after the heat breaks or from the comfort of a shady spot or even a window indoors, find something in the natural world that catches your attention and follow it for a while, just because you’re curious.

Maybe it’s a spider working on a web, bats coming out at dusk, ants on the sidewalk, clouds building before a storm, or the way leaves move when the wind picks up.

Follow whatever catches your attention for as long as it keeps your interest. If something else steals your attention, let it.

No need to concentrate. Let yourself be distracted by the living world for a while.

And if your attention could use more of that... 🌿

September Sundays in Nature starts THIS Sunday!

For four Sunday mornings this month, we’ll meet in green spaces around St. Louis for guided Forest Bathing + Nature Therapy, screen-free time, and a chance to give your attention somewhere completely different to go for a while.

You don’t need to know how to meditate. You don’t need to be outdoorsy. You don’t need to show up feeling calm.

You just need to show up. I’ll guide the rest.

Over the course of September, these mornings give you a chance to:

• Step away from your phone and the constant stream of input
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• Slow down without having to figure out how to slow down
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• Engage your senses and experience the season changing around you
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• Reconnect with curiosity, play, and the parts of you that don’t always get much airtime during a busy week
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• Spend time with other people who are also choosing a little more presence and real-world connection
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• Begin building a nature practice you can return to on your own

You can join us for any 2 Sundays for $65 or spend the full month with us with a 4-session pass for $99.

🍂 And the 4 Session pass comes with a pretty great bonus...

If you purchase your 4-session pass by September 6, I’m also including your $55 ticket to the Autumn Equinox Celebration on September 22 for FREE.

We’ll gather in Forest Park for a special evening of Forest Bathing + Nature Therapy, an autumn nature ritual, reflection, tea, seasonal snacks, and community as we officially welcome the new season together.

So your $99 pass gets you four Sunday mornings throughout September + the Autumn Equinox Celebration.

And because we start this Sunday, this really is my cattle call. 😂 If you’ve been thinking about joining us, I’d love to have you out there.

If you have any questions about the schedule, the passes, Forest Bathing, or whether this would be a good fit for you, just hit reply. I’m always happy to help.

Whether I’ll be seeing a lot of you this September or our paths don’t cross until later this fall, I hope you give your attention somewhere a little less demanding this week.

In Peace and Presence,
Jess 🌞

Jess Thenhaus 🌿 Nature Based Wellness Coach | NBHWC, CHHC Certified Forest & Nature Therapy Guide | ANFT 🫶Helping you cultivate presence, margin & intentionality in your life. CONNECT WITH JESS → Forwarded this email? Subscribe Here for more

🍂 Autumn Rhythm Reset Women's Circle is opening for enrollment soon! Join the waitlist to get access to early bird pricing discounts and bonuses! After the spring women's circle filled so quickly, I knew I wanted to create a fall version with more time for people to plan. This 5-week women’s series will open and close with full moon bonfire circles, and include three weeks of Sunday autumn forest bathing in local St. Louis green spaces in between. A small-group seasonal reset for women who are craving more presence, connection, and rhythm as we move into fall. ​ 👉 Join the waitlist here. This will be a very small group and I expect it to fill quickly.

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