Nature is our reboot
“I just don’t have the bandwidth to deal with that right now,” a friend reported to me. I understood exactly what she meant, but it occurred to me that bandwidth is a reflection of how our modern lives have integrated with technology. We are living in the Age of Information, after all, and the increasing use of technology in our daily lives is also emerging in our everyday vocabulary. Network, platform, upload, download, streaming, data, apps, coding, and many more tech terms float freely between what we know of the machines and operating systems in our lives and how we see ourselves.
When we experience a disruption or sluggishness with our computers, smartphones, or router connection, we are taught to reboot. Allow it to refresh itself—or at least turn it off for three minutes. As humans, we also benefit from a reboot to reset our perception, relax our nervous system, and ease our mind and body. And somewhat poignantly, that occurs when we step outside, away from technology, and connect to nature and its living presence.
Nature reminds us that we are more than just operators of tech, we are more than information and data points to be analyzed and profiled. We are sentient beings with a sensory nature and the capability of self-awareness. We create our own unique knowingness from our life experiences and our sensory perception. We can read something online, and yet, if it has no connection to our lifestyle and life experience, we can only choose to believe it to be true or not, rather than know it to be true.
As the saying goes, “knowing knows no doubt.” Just step outside and you immediately know what the sun feels like on your bare skin, what pine sap smells like, feels like, or how thunder reverberates in the space around you. No one else needs to tell you how it feels. It’s an authentic experience. Nature is not manipulating you, it hasn’t an agenda or a built-in algorithm, or a marketing campaign. It’s true that we can experience temperature, textures, colors, scents, and sounds while indoors, but often our focus and attention is on work, chores, tasks, and the busyness of getting through the day. Often our sensory nature takes a back seat to what screen is in front of us— and even more often, we are placed in the position of being a consumer of information and entertainment rather than being a creator. There needs to be a balance between these two roles or else we begin to feel stagnant—mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Forest bathing is a Japanese-inspired nature outing called Shinrin-yoku. And according to scientist Qing Li “This is not exercise, or hiking, or jogging. It is simply being in nature, connecting with [nature] through our senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Shinrin-yoku is like a bridge. By opening our senses, it bridges the gap between us and the natural world.” And there is an alarming gap. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American spends 93% of their life indoors. (And this was a pre-pandemic study!)
When you live nearly 93% of your life indoors, there can very easily be a disconnect to the natural world and the perception that you don’t belong there. This can also be, in part, a cultural element. As an American who has lived off-and-on in Norway for the last thirty years, I have experienced first-hand how a country’s laws and public policy shape an individual’s relationship to the outdoors.
The Norwegian concept of friluftsliv, or “free-air-life” of being outdoors, is embedded in the collective philosophy that there is “no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.” A phrase that was repeated to me on numerous occasions when I first arrived as a young bride and was handed water-resistant apparel, wool underwear, and the firm suggestion that I learn to dress in layers. As a society, Nordic countries base their early childhood education on the pedagogical importance that the outdoors is a space for children to play, learn and develop. Norwegian children spend one-third of the day outdoors on average in the winter and two-thirds of the day in the summer.
Understandably, creating a relationship with nature and the outdoors is more challenging when raised in urban settings. And that is the growing reality for most of the world’s population. According to the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan, “It is estimated that 83% of the U.S. population lives in urban areas, up from 64% in 1950. By 2050, 89% of the U.S. population and 68% of the world population is projected to live in urban areas.” This underscores the importance of urban planning to include nature as part of the designed living spaces that can be accessible to any city resident. By including access to natural spaces, it can be a way to support a community’s mental health as well as keep a connection to the Earth, which are particularly important in today’s global climate concerns. It is, after all, difficult to value something you do not have first-hand experience or a relationship with.
Commune with Nature
When we commune with Nature, we connect to the ebb and flow of life. We can develop an awareness of how every single element in a place nonetheless assembles into a whole, and we get to experience being included in that whole rather than feeling separate. Nature models the importance of balance and interdependency. We can slip into that authentic stream of connection through intention and mindfulness. As a sensitive and empathic person, who takes self-care to the level of being sacred, I invite you outside to explore your sensory nature, in Nature.
Technology is an economic and social infrastructure that is embedded into our modern societies. It is a necessity to connect globally, but it also has growing components of AI, or artificial intelligence as operating systems. The key word is artificial. By giving yourself a chance to connect to nature, you are creating authentic experiences with your sensory nature; and like nature, it is strong and resilient.
Key considerations for awareness and intentions:
1. How much time did you spend outside as a child connecting to nature? Are you someone who craves the beach and the sun and sand? Do you like to wander among trees in the wilderness? Or perhaps a desert landscape?
2. How much time as an adult do you spend outside on a weekly average? Do you sense this is too little? Are you most comfortable inside and feel indifferent or avoid being outside? Is this due to not having access to natural landscapes nearby?
3. How aware and mindful are you when it comes to your sensory nature? Do you stop to smell the roses? Or some version of that.
4. What was the last creative thing you were part of? Where do you get your inspiration from? Are you more visual, auditory, or tactile in terms of being stimulated? All of these elements are part of the natural world.
5. Are you aware of how much time you spend being a consumer of information and entertainment compared to being creative and creating expressions that are meaningful to you?
Suggestions:
1. Locate your nearest open natural space, park, or garden. Plan a visit with the “soul” intention to just engage your senses and what naturally captures your attention. Be curious and follow that curiosity. Build up being outside each day, if only for three minutes. If it is good advice for your tech, it’s good advice for yourself.
2. Please visit my website for a free meditation download called: Ebb and Flow, it is designed to help you connect to your own natural rhythm. Ebb and Flow Meditation