I have a personality that kinder people than me would call ‘temperamental’. Easily overstimulated, I am annoyed by everything. It’s too hot, too cold, too loud, too bright.. on and on. Restaurants are uncomfortable, workplaces impossible, and public transport a hell I subject myself to with the resigned air of a cow headed to slaughter. In short, the average person’s day turns me into an anxious, grumpy wreck.
But when I’m outside… when I’m outside it all falls away. Fresh air quiets my mind like no therapist, yoga practice, or pastry-binge ever has. When I’m outside I’m not fixating on the heavy breathing of the stranger sitting next to me, I’m listening to the wind whisper through the trees. I’m turning my face into the sun and my eyes to the mountains, and reveling in the movement of this glorious body I’ve been given. Outside, I stop crawling out of my skin and start breathing easy. Whatever’s wormed its way into my peace slips away like water over a smooth stone.
I’m not the only one experiencing a feel-good from fresh air. Time after time, studies have shown that getting outside is good for our health. Nature helps reduce stress and anxiety, boosts our ability to pay attention, improves our immune systems. The medical world is slowly catching on. Wilderness therapy programs are now being used to help patients manage symptoms of severe depression, and the Japanese have developed “forest-bathing”, or shinrin-yoku as a way to treat the variety of malaises that come from living as a human being.
This is all well and good, except that we, as a species, are turning ever-increasingly in; into our smartphones, our game consoles, our desk jobs. After an entire history lived out of doors, we have retreated behind four walls, subsequently cutting ourselves off from the healing benefits of Nature. And along the way, we’ve created new and ever increasing stressors to occupy ourselves. Text message “pings” and wifi connections and “likes” on Instagram consume us, layered on top of the not-insignificant weight of bills, long work-weeks, and an ever crowded environment. Is it any wonder that majority of us operate in a constant state of discontent? Our brains and our emotions are not indefatigable, no matter what we think. But instead of pausing and stepping outside of our closet-worlds for a breather, we keep curling further and further in, consoling ourselves with memes and Netflix binges when we should be stepping out into the sunshine.
Now I like cat videos as much as the next person, and it took me a hot minute to realize that my mood would benefit more from a trip outside than it would from a third viewing of “Thug Cat”. Being outside brings its own, not insignificant, discomforts and I have been by equal measures hungry, frozen, soaked, and lost. It’s hard to see any benefit to the outdoors when you’re huddled frozen in a snowy wood or trudging along in a downpour when you could be burrito-ed in a blanket on your couch. But these are only physical discomforts and frankly, physical discomforts don’t hold a candle to those our mind can inflict on us. Depression, anger, anxiety, even the day to day discontent… these all make a cold day in the mountains seem like child’s play. The darkest nights I’ve had in the woods don’t hold a candle to the nights I’ve spent wrestling the demons in my own head.
We are meant to be outside. It’s as simple as that. Want to be happier? Get. Outside. It doesn’t have to be a grand adventure. You don’t have to get cold or wet or tired. You don’t need to buy any gear. The twenty minutes I spend walking in the local forest every time I’m running errands does as much for my well-being as any week long backpacking trip. Your trip outside can be as simple as taking your sleepy self to the front step for your morning coffee. Sometimes a few minutes is all you can manage. That’s okay. The world outdoors will work on you whether you’re there for ten minutes or ten days. All you have to do is be present, take a few deep breaths in the sun, and the magic will happen on its own. I promise.
Chelsey Cook 