Get Outside!
not a recommendation, but a call to action
...seriously
Some say modern society has lost the art of walking. That we have lost our sense of exploration. So much of our time is spent indoors, sitting, attached to a screen. Or spent in a car driving to work, the grocery store, or the next best entertainment center. Perhaps ever so often we drive to a park to take the dog out for a walk.
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The human mind is consistently seeking stimulus and anymore walking is "boring." Hiking is "boring." But what is so stimulating about the endless scroll? Instead of watching David Attenborough nature documentaries, as I often do as well, wouldn't it seem more fulfilling to enjoy and experience nature first hand? Nature is stimulating. Perhaps we just forgot how to experience nature. How to be wihtout all the comforts of the indoors and endless, mindless entertainment.
Grand Tetons, Wyoming. Picture: Unsplash, Nate Foong
Reasons you need to get outside!
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The beauty of nature.
Arguably one of the most simple reasons to get outside is that nature is incredibly and abundantly full of beauty in all shapes and forms. In every way nature is beautiful, the indoors cannot simulate or compare to. There is no painting or image that can describe the way water flows down smooth rocks or bounces off rigid rocks. The colors waterways can appear to take are unpredictable from clear turquoise lakes to white rushing waters, to ominous deep blues. Trees of all kinds come in many colors too; bright green leaves of a Golden Elm or deep emerald pines of a Colorado Blue spruce. Not to mention to array of flowers all colors of the rainbow, butterflies that match any color of nearby flora, and the exquisite skylines away from light pollution. Nature is colorful!
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The smells of nature.
They wouldn't make candles called "pine tree," "ocean blue," and "lavender" if nature didn't smell like you need to take a piece of it home. But a candle will never match the true freshness and crisp smell of nature. The scents of nature are calming and generous. I personally touch and smell plenty of plants along my path as I hike, and sometimes I am caught smelling a pine tree by passing hikers but the best way to be in nature is to truly appreciate every element!
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The creativity in nature.
So maybe every moment spent outside isn't entirely tantalizing. This is where you get to mold your experience in nature to match what you want to get out of it. Nature is the best playground and the best place to feel creative. Its boundlessness will open your mind to new ideas. Ideas of enjoyment, or ideas for new art, a new storyline for your book or a new way of looking at a problem you are tackling. Separating yourself from the same space you spend everyday in will allow you to think outside the box a little more.
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New hobbies in nature.
There is a lot to do outside that is more than hiking on a trail or smelling pine needles. There are entire new hobbies to explore for thrill seekers and calm spirits alike. Not only would you be able to enjoy the beauty of nature but you can again, mold your experience to what you want to get out of your time spent in nature. For our thrill seekers, rock climbing, snow sports, and mountain biking are all good avenues to get your adrenaline fix. For our calm spirits, fishing, camping, and kayaking are all great ways to get outside wild keeping the stakes low.
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Your body wants to be outside!​
Get in your Vitamin D.
Being outside can benefit your physical and mental well-being in numerous ways. Vitamin D is often referred to as the sunshine vitamin as one way you can receive this vitamin is by just spending time out in the sun. A deficiency in Vitamin D can cause bone pain, fatigue and even depression. Getting outside can help combat a lack of Vitamin D and help improve your mood.
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Stress relief.
Being removed from your immediate surroundings can also help improve your mood and decrease stress. Similarly, being active helps reduce stress and keeps your body and joints healthy. Engaging in outdoor pursuits and lively activities that require some sort of exertion increase serration levels improving your mood.
Better sleep.
Physical exertion and the improvement in mental health by getting outside will also help you get better sleep. Even light physical activity can improve quality of sleep. Spending a prolonged amount of time outside can also help your body align your biological clock with the natural day and night-time which strengthens the production of melatonin, the hormone that signals your body is it time for rest.
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As long as you are stay safe with how you chose to spend your time outside (being aware of sun exposure, staying hydrated and knowing your physical limits for engagement in outdoor pursuits), there is no loss in spending more time outside, but the benefits are vast. Get outside in anyway you can, starting small until you can commit to a more active and healthy outdoor lifestyle!
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Monke, A. (2021, February 9). 7 reasons to get outside. Sunshine Parenting. Retrieved March 24, 2022, from https://sunshine-parenting.com/7-reasons-to-get-outside/
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Mount Hood, Oregon. Picture: Unsplash, Atanas Malamov
Picture: Unsplash, Benjamin Davies