They say spending time in nature can change your life. But in a world packed with indoor life pressures, how can you make getting outside just a part of who you are?
Welcome to the Humans Outside podcast, where we explore life in the great outdoors from our perch in Alaska, all while hearing from fascinating outdoor-minded guests.
What happens when you take the time and intentionality to listen — I mean really listen — outside? So much of our auditory experiences are about blocking sounds out. But happens when we flip things around and choose to purposefully let sounds in?
That’s what I tried to do during a recent week focusing on my sense of hearing during my outdoor adventures. And what I found was deeply enriching. It showed me how my brain can reset, ruly challenging listening is and why it’s worth it.
Listen to episode to hear more now!
[:32] I purposefully ignore this sense
[1:26] My own five senses experiment and where it came from
[2:30] Here’s what I found by leaning into my sense of hearing
[2:45] First, there was relief
[3:10] A few examples of what I heard
[3:30] What those sounds bring
[3:45] OK but it was also really hard
[4:25] Your assignment
My friend called it the “fall wall” — that moment where you know without a doubt that the season is changing. Are you ready for it? I’ll admit that I’m not.
But it’s here for me in Alaska. And whether the wall is a weather one or a schedule one, dealing with it while maintaining the things that are important to you — like getting outside — can take some work.
Here’s how I’m doing it. Listen now.
[:32] The origin of the “fall wall”
[:47] Here’s one type of “fall wall”
[1:15] Here’s another type of “fall wall”
[2:00] My growing concern
[2:30] “The summer we had fun anyway”
[3:08] A few tips for working through the fall wall
Are you too grown-up to notice and enjoy play? I don’t mean you avoid it on purpose. I mean your grown-up brain just doesn’t see it, isn’t used to allowing it, crowds it out with other stuff and is just so, well, responsible.
Kids don’t have this problem. Play is how they learn and what they know. But adults, on the other hand …
Here’s what I learned this week by taking time to seize the play, and what it did for me. Listen now.
[:31] Setting the stage on a beautiful summer day
[1:15] And then I forgot this thing
[1:36] The relief of play
[2:00] The burden of being a grown-up
How does your connection to nature change when you focus on experiencing it through each of your five senses? With the chance to literally taste the outdoors at every turn, I leaned into the gifts of the land and explored how experiencing nature through my mouth (and stomach) makes me feel.
Listen now!
[:40] The best senses intentions
[1:08] It was a deliciousness emergency
[1:28] A delicious pit stop
[2:31] Blueberries in all the places
[2:40] Even more berries and even more deliciousness
[3:15] Wherein someone else feeds me and I hit my limit
[3:48] And
When was the last time you really noticed your world by focusing on one of your five senses? That’s something Gretchen Rubin talked about in her episode with Humans Outside, and it’s something I’ve recently been asking myself as I head outside daily.
What would happen if I spent some time noticing each sense outside? What would I find? What would I experience?
In this Outdoor Diary episode I explore my sense of sight during my daily nature time. What did I find?
Listen now!
[:35] One of the best parts of podcasting
[:50] Let’s talk about Gretchen Rubin for a sec
[1:15] A little bit about “Life In Five Senses”
[1:40] Leaning into “sight”
[2:00] When was the last time I really, truly saw stuff?
[2:25] Sparking awe through sight
[2:42] Finding awe in the everyday sights
[2:59] It went like this
[4:00] But then there was irritation
[4:20] New York City people problems
[4:40] And how they reframed this for me
[5:00] What’s next for me
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode