Wellness Journalism: Get Out!

Get out! No, I mean it! Go outside. Walk in the fresh air, breathe deeply, and bask in the fabulousness that is nature.

We spend the majority of our time indoors, in front of a computer or television screen, or driving in our cars…blocking our connection to the earth and its energy. Instead, our minds are conditioned to obtain energy from substitutes that we pay for, obsess over, and crave. That self-consuming relationship? That addiction? This dependence on “fossil fuels” comes at great cost! These short-term stand-ins produce pollution such as stress and disease, while enhancing dysfunction and denial. They put us out of touch with nature's unifying balance and recuperative powers.

Even while we walk in the woods, our minds are conditioned to be elsewhere: thinking about work or school, family or friends, contemplating problems, or conversating about something else. Our minds have been trained to overlook the innate and intuitive senses that connect us to nature's wise and amazing creations. In fact, it is the fundamental pain of disconnection with our mother earth that we seek to remedy or satisfy with gunk.

Us southern Californians pay out the nose in order to live in this sunny weather. So use it. Hit the beach, strike a trail, and try not to step on a snail. The benefit to you? Vibrant health and a sense of well-being. It’s more than just the physical activity that gets your cells to singing. Fresh air and sunshine, both provided by the universe free of charge, are powerful therapies. (Click here for physiological details.) The benefit to nature? Earth wants to be beautiful to you. It works around the clock to sustain your very life. Enjoy it! This makes earth happy. And it’s a two way street—when you appreciate nature, nature appreciates you. It makes life more harmonious and efficient. Rub it the wrong way, and well…nature is a mother.

For priceless presents from the great outdoors:

The Mission Bay Acquatic Center

Outback Adventures

Take a hike. In San Diego, my three personal favorites are:

• Mission Trails- an extensive tranquil valley, with numerous excellent tree forts.
• Torrey Pines- fabulous ocean views, staggering cliffs, trails galore.
• Iron Mountain- a stairway to heaven.

Here’s one more recommendation, and dramatic as this may sound, it could change your life. Find a private place, somewhere out there in the arms of Mother Nature, and make it your sanctuary-- whether on campus under a certain tree, or at a beach or park somewhere. Go to it in times of trouble. Sit in silence or with a pen and paper, and be open to what comes.

Looking out at the ocean or up at the stars
Snaps me back into (self) perspective.