These days it's easy to stay inside. It's easy to sit at your computer and binge-watch your favorite show. It's easy to lay in bed and decide you don't want to go anywhere today because you don't have to. It's easy to forget how stifling it really is to sit indoors for hours on end.
As a student, I get overwhelmed from time to time. Studying or working on papers eventually gets old and I want a break. Of course the first thing that comes to mind is to watch a movie on Netflix or browse the Internet. But those things distract you for a little while, and eventually you're back at square one.
When I felt like I was constantly working, studying or bored, I realized the reason why: I lived in a bubble. The walls to my room were a bubble. The confines of campus were an even larger, encompassing bubble. I felt trapped. I knew I had to do something different (someone once told me idleness is the beginning of all vices). So, as a college student with limited funds and limited resources, I just decided to go outside. Not just on my normal walk from my apartment to class, but on a walk through nature, where I can look at the trees and watch birds graze their feet on the face of the water from the nearby lake.
Photo by Grace Sovine
Taking a walk outside sounds simple, but it helped me immensely. There is a strong connection between people and the natural world. Living in the suburbs my whole life, I've been disconnected. I needed to go outside and experience nature. That tree on the front lawn doesn't count. I wanted to immerse myself in a forest, a place where wild animals live and the trees reach upward to a robin's egg blue sky, where I can't see the stress of my academic buildings or the busyness of the road.
Connecting with nature is a peaceful, almost spiritual experience. How can you not marvel at the beauty of the fall foliage? How can you not stop and think of how grateful you are that we live in a world with the crunch of leaves below your feet, or twisted roots peeking out of the ground?
It's not about exercise (though that is a plus). I take walks because it helps me think. There are no distractions. No devices, no noise, no expectations. It's just me, my thoughts and the trees. To me, nature is an equalizer. It puts aside all the issues in the world and makes you look in front of you. It gives you the chance to reset from all the deadlines, all the finances, all the chores. It's about taking a break and appreciating the world around us. Try going out and taking a stroll in a local park. It might just be all you need to help take on the day.
