Maybe it’s part of the loss or grief process – first Amy was in denial about the changing season, then there was some anger and now there’s acceptance. Part of that acceptance is hunting for the good stuff, including the things she actually likes about fall. And doing that takes two steps. Listen to this episode to hear what those are, plus a quick preview of what’s coming for Humans Outside season 6.

[:45] The problem with skipping the PSL

[1:30] My attachment is about to change

[1:54] What to do about the opposite problem

[2:18] Opening to hope

[2:36] 2 steps: a thought and a action

[4:30] A Season 6 preview – here is what’s coming

With a thousand demands on our time every day, it’s hard to find the space for even everything you absolutely have to do, much less the nice-to-haves. Time tracking exercises, productivity hacks and streamlining are all great, but they can feel like they don’t always leave time for the good stuff that makes you happy — just time to fulfill more obligations.

So how do you find time for things that make you happy, like heading outside? And what role does going into nature play in happiness?

In this episode Dr. Cassie Holmes, a popular UCLA professor, happiness researcher and author of the new book Happier Hour shares with her best tips and insights on how to manipulate your time to make space — real space — for the things that make you happy.

[2:57] Is this just an Amy intervention?

[4:02] Why we can blame Amy’s mom

[5:34] Dr. Cassie Holme’s favorite outdoor space

[7:02] Why nature and joy is interesting

[10:08] All about time tracking and why what she suggests is different from normal methods

[13:00] The happiness difference between indoor and outdoor things

[18:26] What makes outside time happy

[25:03] How to actually make time happen for you

[29:00] What to do if you hate time tracking

[35:27] What to do with the info you tracked (or not)

[39:00] What to do if you get on track with time management but then fall off the wagon

[47:00] What this is really about — a final nutshell takeaway

September 1, 2022 marked five full years of Amy’s 20 minutes outside daily habit, and it has her reflecting on some of the life skills she’s gained spending that many days — 1,825 to be exact — outside experiencing all nature has to offer. What can building a daily nature habit give to you, too? Listen now to find out.

[:45] FIVE YEARS.

[1:04] My daily habit by the numbers

[2:45] Lesson one: my superpower

[3:55] Lesson two: I’m one tough cookie

[4:45] Lesson three: gratitude

[5:35] Yeah there’s other stuff too

[6:10] OK one more gift

What do you do when you encounter mud on the trail? We don’t mean a little mud — we’re talking mud pits of sucking, oozy, gooey mud for miles and miles. Do you go around? Over? Through?

And what about “mud” in life?

In this episode, Amy talks about a recent outdoor mud experience and what it reminded her about handling the tough stuff when it appears. Listen now.

[:45] In case you need a recap of “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”

[1:30] About the annual Lost Lake run

[2:07] What a ton – a TON – of rain does

[2:45] Here are your mud options in real life

[3:20] The temptation and what you eventually do

[4:15] What it teaches me about tough life stuff

Read “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” (because you know you want to)

Learn about the Lost Lake trail

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

When the seasons change — both literally and figuratively — it’s easy to get stuck being sad about what was, what’s gone or what’s going. But as Amy remembered this week, sometimes a little shift towards gratitude can make the whole thing easier.

In this Outdoor Diary episode Amy remembers how to find that gratitude and why heading outside every day no matter what has given her the tools to do so. Listen now.

[:48] You know this about me

[:53] Have you met my boyfriend, Alaska summer?

[1:15] The problem with summer flings

[1:33] The status of that relationship

[2:20] Sadness is OK but then there’s this

[3:06] They’re back! My little buddies

[3:30] A changed perspective from gratitude

[4:45] What you can find on my feed right now

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