Touch Grass, Save Your Brain: Our Wild Outdoor Confessions
The wilderness has always held a special place in human culture, simultaneously revered and feared. In our latest podcast discussion, we explored our complex relationship with the outdoors, contemplating what it means to truly connect with nature in our technology-driven world. The conversation began with a provocative question: could we survive a full week completely offline in nature? As urban dwellers, our immediate reactions revealed much about our disconnection from the natural world – while we loved the idea of unplugging from technology, the realities of outdoor living (bugs, exposure to elements, and basic survival needs) quickly dampened our enthusiasm.
Perhaps most revealing was our contemplation of basic survival skills many of us have lost through generations of comfortable living. Despite billions of years of evolutionary adaptation making humans incredibly adept survivors, many of us would struggle to spend even a few days in natural settings without modern conveniences. The conversation took a fascinating turn as we discussed our personal outdoor experiences, from Spartan races to swimming abilities (or lack thereof). These discussions highlighted how our modern lifestyles have created unexpected barriers between ourselves and natural environments – from missed childhood opportunities due to not knowing how to swim to the empowerment that comes from completing physically demanding outdoor challenges.
The psychological benefits of nature emerged as a particularly impactful theme. Scientific research confirms that even brief exposure to natural environments – as simple as listening to birds chirping for just ten seconds – can significantly boost serotonin levels and improve mental wellbeing. This remarkable fact underscores what we intuitively understand: our disconnection from nature may be contributing to modern mental health challenges. Despite our technological advancement, there seems to be something irreplaceable about direct contact with the natural world that nourishes our psychological health in ways we're only beginning to understand scientifically.
Our lighthearted "This or That" segment revealed deep-seated preferences and fears about nature. Would you rather be rained on or snowed on while camping? Could you survive without sunscreen or bug spray? These seemingly simple choices illuminate our individual relationships with outdoor environments and the compromises we're willing (or unwilling) to make for outdoor experiences. Most fascinating was our discussion about those who choose to live "off the grid" – while we expressed admiration for their self-sufficiency and survival skills, we acknowledged the significant gap between admiring such a lifestyle and actually living it ourselves.
As our conversation concluded, we issued a simple challenge to listeners: spend at least five minutes outside each day, whether walking or simply listening to the sounds of nature. This modest commitment represents an accessible starting point for rebuilding our connection to natural environments while reaping meaningful psychological and physical benefits. In a world where digital distractions constantly compete for our attention, intentionally stepping outside – even briefly – may be one of the most radical acts of self-care available to us. Despite our urban tendencies and creature comforts, there remains something profoundly nurturing about reconnecting with the natural world that shaped our species.
