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.
Life is full of forks in the road — literally and figuratively. And over my more than 2,000 days going outside every single day for at least 20 minutes I’ve noticed something: the more I practice making decisions outside, the better I am at making them inside.
Why is that and why does it matter? Listen now.
[:40] Going outside means you’re going to encounter this
[:45] The many ways I’ve faced this
[1:15] What I’ve noticed about this over my outdoor time
[2:05] Taking this lesson inside
[3:00] Practice makes perfect when dealing with risk
When it comes to balancing a desire to spend time outside with indoor obligations that keep your job and life running, a little bit of organization goes a long way.
I’ve realized that powering through one simple planning task every one of us faces is the difference between living in harried chaos and feeling like everything is under control with plenty of time for everything I want to do, including heading into nature.
So what is it? Menu planning.
(Yes, seriously.)
But I have figured out a way to make it as painless as possible (while still hating it). Listen now to find out what works for me, why it has such a major impact and how it could help you, too.
[:35] The major problem of this time of year
[1:00] Here comes the chaos
[2:07] The impact of time management
[2:30] I hate this, I really do
[3:06] Here’s why I do it anyway
[3:21] My system for tackling this
[4:30] The next step: food prep
[4:45] Why this matters for going outside
[5:31] Yup, I’m still learning.
How do you work through fear of outdoor unknowns? How do you get comfortable with nature-based risks like wildlife or finding danger when you’re all alone? What do you do about all of the outdoor “what ifs?”
Those are questions natural science illustrator and art instructor Sandy McDermott found herself grappling with after an unexpected move from the northeast U.S. to Anchorage, Alaska. And as she looked for ways to move through her fears, she turned to a familiar comfort — creating the art that pushed her to head outside to start with.
In this episode Sandy talks about her ongoing journey towards getting comfortable with the uncomfortable and how you can overcome your own fears of the unknown in wild spaces. Listen now.
Connect with this episode:
Visit Sandy McDermott’s website
Connect with Sandy on LinkedIn
Register for Sandy’s newsletter
Join the Humans Outside Challenge
Follow Humans Outside on Instagram
Follow Humans Outside on Facebook
Some of the good stuff:
[3:03] Sandy McDermott’s favorite outdoor space
[5:24] What does a nature illustrator actually do?
[7:24] The outdoor fears that surprised her in Alaska
[9:48] Did the fear surprise her?
[10:31] Normalizing the fear response
[13:45] Did she ever consider just staying inside?
[16:00] How all the problems add up
[21:58] How art has helped her work through the fears
[28:07] Is she surprised by where the journey has brought her?
[28:05] It’s called “bearanoid”
[33:21] What the combination of nature and art mean to her
[35:42] Tips for getting over nature fears
[45:38] Sandy’s favorite outdoor moment
[3:03] Sandy McDermott’s favorite outdoor space
[5:24] What does a nature illustrator actually do?
[7:24] The outdoor fears that surprised her in Alaska
[9:48] Did the fear surprise her?
[10:31] Normalizing the fear response
[13:45] Did she ever consider just staying inside?
[16:00] How all the problems add up
[21:58] How art has helped her work through the fears
[28:07] Is she surprised by where the journey has brought her?
[28:05] It’s called “bearanoid”
[33:21] What the combination of nature and art mean to her
[35:42] Tips for getting over nature fears
[45:38] Sandy’s favorite outdoor moment
Got hard stuff? Me, too. Fortunately for all of us, there’s nature to help with that.
One of the best things I’ve ever learned while recording episodes of Humans Outside is to think about nature as a container for all the tough stuff of life. So how do you do that? Listen now to find out.
[;34] The importance of reframing and why I love it so
[1:15] One of my favorite reframings
[1:40] Think about the outdoors as a “container”
[2:15] Why a container is good for you too
[3:00] How I used the container recently
[4:00] How to make the container work for you
[4:10] The tool of soft focus
[5:12] Mind wandering + walking
[5:46] Working hard outside
[6:00] Don’t forget the container when you need it
It might also be trendy, but backyard chicken keeping isn’t just a delightful way to source a parade of fresh eggs and endless chicken entertainment, it’s also the perfect lure for getting outside regularly right where you are. And while, yes, keeping any outdoor animal provides the obligatory outdoor chore list, a backyard coop can also draw you into nature in ways that don’t include coop cleaning or flock feeding, says podcast guest Tove Danovich.
A journalist and author of the new book “Under the Henfluence: Inside the World of Backyard Chickens and the People Who Love Them,” Tove has an insider perspective on all the ways keeping a parade of chickens can connect you with your own nearby nature, too. Listen now.
[3:16] Tove Danovich’s favorite outdoor space
[4:23] How Tove became someone who likes to go outside
[6:42] Tove’s chicken story
[8:45] Chicken math
[11:02] Is there such a thing as too many chickens?
[14:40] How chickens help Tove get outside
[18:00] Warning warning she might a birder
[22:30] Rooster problems
[23:53] Why it matters that the chickens don’t need her
[29:05] The inside scoop on chicken culture
[32:17] What people should know about chickens that the books don’t really say
[37:00] Keeping chickens from becoming a chore
[42:47] Tove’s favorite outdoor moment
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