Last week, out of nowhere, I fell ill. It actually started as a small migraine but quickly turned into something worse. I work remotely, so most of my days are spent indoors, and lately the air in my apartment has felt unbearably thick, almost suffocating. I tried opening the windows, drawing back the curtains, even leaving the door open for hours, but nothing changed. For nearly two weeks, the space that was supposed to comfort me actually began to drain me instead. Then came the chest tightness and I realized my body was literally asking for help. That was when I knew I needed to leave the city, at least for a while.
I packed a few things and ran off to my parents’ place in the countryside. The difference I felt immediately I reached was immediate. The air there is cool and fresh, this is something the city no longer seems capable of offering. The rooms are spacious, the windows wide and welcoming, and outside, there are trees everywhere. Thick bushes, open skies, leaves moving lazily with the wind, nature just existing.
That first evening, I sat outside and just breathed. I let the wind touch my skin while I inhaled deeply and exhaled all the heaviness I had been carrying. It felt like my lungs were remembering something they had forgotten. For the first time in days, I could feel my body unclenching.
mine
Now this experience honestly made me think about how badly our cities are failing us. Trees are disappearing daily to make room for new buildings and infrastructure, yet very little thought is given to what replaces them. In many parts of the city, greenery is treated like decoration instead of necessity. Only in a few well-planned estates over here, do you still see huge trees preserved and planted intentionally. Everywhere else, concrete keeps expanding while the air feels thinner.
I have connected the dots and I have concluded that's why my apartment suddenly feels so hostile to me now. We humans were never meant to live this disconnected from nature. I’m feeling better now, thankfully, though I still plan to see a doctor. But this experience reminds me that plants and open spaces are not luxuries. They are part of what keeps us alive, mentally and physically.
Truthfully, I think it may be time for me to move somewhere better. Maybe not the countryside permanently though, I love my parents dearly, but from a healthy distance. Two or three days with them is refreshing; any longer and I’ll start planning my escape again. Lol.
Still, being here has shown me that healing can begin with something as simple as fresh air and trees basically swaying in the evening wind.
