Feel happier by Spending Time Outside!

I live in Portugal, where I have both the urban busy morning, the sea's breeze, and nature's solitude. But, I was not taking advantage of any of these locations. Instead, the commute seemed to connect the room, the office and the kitchen. Often, leaving home, but still not appreciating the beauty of what lied around me.

A couple of months ago, I heard an interview with Cal Newport and Lewis Howes on social media and how it affected people's connections with others, themselves, and the environment. I took a couple of notes (included below) on that same interview, and I noticed I was not spending enough time outside. This is, in part, related to the current situation. But still, I was not even enjoying my own garden, where social distance is a reality.

When I realized this, I wrote the following on my journal and later on my phone: "30 minutes of reading outside, every day. Deal." This was my attempt to balance, even if slightly, the time spent inside vs outside. The goal? Inhaling nature's aromas, hearing the songs of birds and enjoying myself a bit more. I know this sounds too poetic, but in a sense, it is. The constant stream of distractions was pulling me away, literally, from the doorstep.

For the next week, I literally laid down on the floor, on the entry of my house, reading. When it started raining, I still read a book, inside, but facing the window. My phone was left in another room. I will not say that going outside deliberately, to feel the environment, was life-transforming. But it showed me how little attention I was paying to such an important thing in life — living, purposefully, while enjoying the surroundings.

I would argue this is an excellent activity for both mental and physical health. Mentally, I'm in a better mood, experience more happiness and feel that the day was more memorable than when I spend it inside. Physically, I get to move my body and have higher levels of energy. Besides, my skin has the proper time to convert ultraviolet B rays into vitamin D. Pure gold ;)

If it's been a long time since you, deeply, appreciated what is outside, try it today. 5 minutes of contemplation are enough to awaken the necessity of repeating this activity, every day.