lessons from #septembernaturechallenge
I really loved the #septembernaturechallenge and might have to make it an annual tradition. I encouraged you all to commit to getting outside for just five minutes a day, figuring that was a do-able commitment for everyone. I was already doing that, so my goal for myself was a minimum of 30 minutes outside every day. Here are the highlight lessons (better late than never!) from the month of really intentionally spending more time outside:
Cloud gazing. I’ve always been a geek about the clouds, but I don’t know if the clouds were especially spectacular in September 2019 or if I was just paying more attention. Regardless, it turns out that there are – unsurprisingly – lots of benefits to getting lost in the clouds. I even found this group in my Googling about the benefits of cloud gazing, which I now want to join.
Increase in calm and presence. I noticed, personally, that I had more “fuse” for frustrating people and situations over the course of the month. This is not surprising since science shows that time in nature “reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones.”
Snowball effect. Because I spent more time outside, I just naturally moved more, and I practiced more mindfulness (mostly getting lost in amazement at those epic cloud shows). Time in nature seems to slow time down instead of that crummy feeling when you realize you’ve just wasted a half hour scrolling Instagram. Don’t we all want more of that?
Love of place. The main reason I started this challenge was a secret motivation: I strongly believe that you won’t take care of something (the planet) if you don’t KNOW it. Furthermore, we don’t know (or love) things in abstract; we know and love people and animals and creation in the particular. So in order for people to start waking up to the plight that the planet is in, they must get to know the places where they live and work and play. I try to walk that talk by investing in our place, and I have a tendency (#Enneagram7) to want to try and see new things versus doing the same thing over and over again.
The September Nature Challenge reminded me of how beautiful it is to see the same scenes over, but with fresh eyes each day because even the same well-worn path looks different based on the weather, season, animal life, etc. When I get to really know my place by spending time out and in it each and every day, I can better see what changes happen from day-to-day and open myself to the awe of it.
Beginner’s mind is an idea in Zen Buddhism (and also Christianity, Judaism, yoga philosophy, and more I’m surely missing) that we find more joy when we approach life with the humility and openness of a beginner (or “like a little child,” as Jesus said). The #septembernaturechallenge helped me see the benefits of this beginner’s mindset.
It’s now December, and I have been mostly sticking to my minimum of 30 minutes outside every day and experiencing a new depth of the benefits listed above. Perhaps most importantly, is the difference I notice in my thoughts, my ability to be mindful, and in my body on days when I don’t get outside. If you’re looking for the most “bang-for-your-buck” habit to invest in, I can’t think of a much better one than resolving to get outside more.
