Of Wildness & Wellness
Exploring the connections between time in nature and human health
To write is to take hold of a river. I catch handfuls, but so much more of the flow escapes my grasp. Over time, I learn where the current slows and — instead of my hands — I use a bucket. I capture more of what I want to say, but the main flow goes by unimpeded — as it always will. Maybe that’s why I keep writing, why I keep returning to the river.
Writing keeps me moving forward, but it’s also tempting, once in a while, to look back. Collected below are ten pieces from the past sixteen months that best reflect what I’ve been reading, thinking, and writing about in terms of the new outdoors movement and the ways modern humans can improve our health and repair our relationship with our planet.
“The New Outdoors Movement” is an attempt to summarize the movement around nature and wellness that is coalescing in different parts of the world. I present a list of resources for learning more about this nascent and decentralized movement.
“Awe-Deprived or Awestruck? The Choice Is Ours to Make” is a recent article focusing on the fact that modern humans are awe-deprived — and therefore have lives that are unnecessarily impoverished. Fortunately, as the article explains, spending time in nature can help us reclaim awe as a part of our daily lives.
“Almost Always Better Than You Think” is the first article I published on Medium. It tells the story of my “year outside” in which I committed to spending at least an hour a day outside, regardless of my schedule and regardless of the weather. Yes, sometimes it was extremely cold and sometimes it was very dark. That experience proved to be life-changing. Read more below:
“Life on the Inside Has Major Downside” is part one of a focus on how lour move indoors has created many of the physical, mental, and spiritual problems that plague humanity today.
“ . . . Getting Back on the Healthy Side of the Door” is part two of the focus on the implications of having become indoor creatures. We can’t undo all that history, and we can’t all go back to living in the woods, but there are many hopeful signs that humanity is beginning to integrate meaningful contact with nature back into daily life.
Here in part one of this next two-part series, I raise the bar a bit higher. I write that even those of us who spend plenty of time in nature may not be getting the full benefits from nature if we don’t have the right mindset when we’re out there.
In part two of this two-part series, I explore the fact that awe-science, brain science, and spirituality all lend insights into how time in nature can lead to self-transformation — and a happier, more fulfilled life.
“A Strong Base for Your Nature Pyramid,” is part one of a two-part series. This article focuses on how daily exposure to local green and blue spaces — even in small doses — is vital to our health and wellness.
“Hacking the Three-Day Effect — How to Maximize Your Nature Fix,” part two of a two-part series, focuses on how the powerful benefits of extended time in nature can be accessible to us on a daily basis if we have the right mindset and approach.
In “Forest Bathing Makes You Mentally Ripped,” a light-hearted take on the phenomenon known as “forest bathing,” I celebrate the benefits and science behind this trendy new practice. I also acknowledge that some of us might be able to enjoy similar benefits by simply going for a walk.
The river is still flowing. I’m still mesmerized by it. If you’re looking for me, you’ll find me right there on the shore.
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