2024 Update: I hope to update this post to be more comprehensive soon, as it is not the quality of posts which I would like to make in 2024.
For as long as I can remember, being stuck inside the house was a problem for me my whole life. I grew up not going outside often due to my parents worrying about my safety. This is completely normal when I was new to the world and learning, but it is not normal to worry about the safety of going to the yard when I am now a teenager.
For people in a similar situation, you are going to have to bring this topic up multiple times to your parents. It is very unlikely that the first time you plead to be allowed outside because of the many benefits, that your parents are going to listen. You do not have to bring up therianthropy in this discussion, all you must do is provide the benefits of interacting with nature. I had to bring up the topic of being allowed to go outside multiple times before my parents relented and let me go outside. These are things that I learned along the way, and I hope this article can help you in some way!
The Benefits of Going Outside
If you want to go outside to do quadrobics, vocals, or to connect to your theriotype in another way that is fine. I originally made the push to go outside to do quadrobics, but I have not been able to do quadrobics yet. It is important to note that doing quadrobics, vocals, or wearing gear does not make you a therian and if you are a therian, you do not have to do any of those activities either. You should just realize pushing to be allowed outside is very beneficial for your health beyond doing those activities. Animals and even humans, don’t like to be kept inside forever.
What I quickly learned is that nature is beneficial in general. This isn’t as much of a therianthropy thing because everyone can benefit from going outside, even non-therians. When I was stuck inside, it was incredibly difficult to concentrate on any assignment. Getting earplugs lessened the issue some, but it did not cancel all the talking in the classroom or at home. It used to take me countless hours to finish a final paper over the course of a semester. However, I would estimate now that I can be four or more times as efficient in one day. As an example, in two days I completed writing over 2,500 words on a history paper that I was doing **for fun** in the summer. This outcome could be a result of attention restoration theory, which is a theory that states that the ability to concentrate and focus attention can be improved by nature.
Beyond the benefit of increased productivity due to the ability to concentrate and focus, it is thought that contact with nature contributes to your happiness, makes you feel more relaxed, buffers the impact of loneliness or social isolation, and even improves your physical health.
Emulating Nature & Connecting to Your Theriotype
Regardless of if you can’t go outside due to overprotective parents, the weather, you live in a place where there is no nature, or you just can’t go outside for any reason, there are ways to emulate nature to connect with your theriotype instead. You could emulate nature by decorating your room, making a den, obtaining plants from the environment, cooking, wearing gear, and many more. None of these explained are required to be a therian, but you might find them helpful to you to connect with your theriotype.
One of the easiest ways to emulate the environment of your theriotype inside the house is by decorating a bedroom if you have one. This can be done by leaving the blinds to your room open or closed, listening to nature sounds inside, having plants, using scented candles, having posters of nature within your room, or by painting the color of your walls. This is not an exhaustive list, there may be ways to decorate your room that are related to your theriotype, so be creative! You may think that there is no point to make these small changes, but these small changes may make a huge difference.
If you have less space, a den could work. You could create a den under your bed if your bed has space underneath, on your bed, in the corners of a room, in a small closet, or in a small tent. Decorate it with pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, lights, plants, fake vines, and whatever else you can think of that makes you happy! You could even use a bed tent to make your den. If you have pillows and other flammable items in your den, **don’t use candles or heaters,** as that is very dangerous. What you specifically put in your den and how you make one may vary depending on your theriotype, so do more research and be creative with your den ideas.
If you do not have enough space for a den either, there is no need to worry about not being able to express yourself in your environment. While I may not know your specific situation, I hope you are able to take one thing away from this. You can take care of a small plant, obtain gear, listen to nature sounds or music, or cook food related to your theriotype. I have heard that this Tumblr blog has a lot of good recipes: https://kinfood.tumblr.com/. If you can’t even do those, journaling can be helpful, depending on how much privacy you have. This can all vary depending on how protective your parents are.
Farewell
I hope this article has given you some inspiration to push to go outside or to connect with your theriotype in some way. I based this article on personal experiences and sources I’ve found online. Regardless no one’s situation is going to be the same, so if you have any insights that I did not mention please tell me! This is not exhaustive, so please comment if you have questions and want clarifications too!
References
“Attention Restoration Theory: A Systematic Review | ECEHH.” European Centre for Environment and Human Health | ECEHH, 29 Mar. 2023, www.ecehh.org/research/attention-restoration-theory-a-systematic-review. Accessed 16 Aug. 2023.
Coal_Writes. “Advice for a Therian Stuck Inside?” Reddit — Dive Into Anything, www.reddit.com/r/Therian/comments/11sk5j3/advice_for_a_therian_stuck_inside. Accessed 16 Aug. 2023.
Deleted. “How Can I Decorate My Room to Match the Environment My Theriotype Would Be Found In?” Reddit — Dive Into Anything, www.reddit.com/r/Therian/comments/lh0rdb/how_can_i_decorate_my_room_to_match_the. Accessed 16 Aug. 2023.
Ember. “Advice for ‘Trapped’ Therians.” Therian Amino, 11 Feb. 2018, aminoapps.com/c/officialtherian/page/blog/advice-for-trapped-therians/kwRn_aGvcGupmNBkLEJzjvQDk6zRw8RLLYx. Accessed 16 Aug. 2023.
Eyemoisturizer. “I Havent Posted Here in a Hot Minute but I Need Den Tips.” Reddit — Dive Into Anything, www.reddit.com/r/Therian/comments/oegb55/i_havent_posted_here_in_a_hot_minute_but_i_need. Accessed 16 Aug. 2023.
“How Nature Benefits Mental Health.” Mind, www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/nature-and-mental-health/how-nature-benefits-mental-health. Accessed 16 Aug. 2023.
Lycxnwolf. “I Can’t Do Anything in My Nature.” Reddit — Dive Into Anything, www.reddit.com/r/Therian/comments/xgssr6/i_cant_do_anything_in_my_nature. Accessed 16 Aug. 2023.
Mossyb3ar. “Does Anyone Else Feel Trapped?” Reddit — Dive Into Anything, www.reddit.com/r/Therian/comments/157o7f0/does_anyone_else_feel_trapped. Accessed 16 Aug. 2023.
Nulldafloof. “No Access to Nature :(.” Reddit — Dive Into Anything, www.reddit.com/r/Therian/comments/11lcmmn/no_access_to_nature. Accessed 16 Aug. 2023.
RealLifeWerewolf. “Suggestions for a Den.” Reddit — Dive Into Anything, www.reddit.com/r/Therian/comments/10vngtq/suggestions_for_a_den. Accessed 16 Aug. 2023.
“Species Affirming Things for Non-domestic Canines.” Wolfsbane-and-buttercups, www.tumblr.com/yourlocaltherian/704759929874022400/works-for-other-kin-too-try-a-few. Accessed 16 Aug. 2023.
Therian Territory. “BUILD AN INDOOR DEN WITH ME | 20k Special | Alterhuman — Therian — Otherkin.” YouTube, 11 July 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTCL9qEV3Fc. Accessed 16 Aug. 2023.
Weir, Kirsten. “Nurtured by Nature.” https://www.apa.org, Apr. 2020, www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature.
