Go Outside

We live in a society that doesn’t know how to rest. Our eyes, nearly always glued to a screen, seek relief from the busyness around us, yet fail to find it in the midst of all the overstimulation.

Today, I’m at my childhood home visiting my parents, and it’s been very nostalgic, to say the least. This morning (for old times’ sake), I walked outside, listened to the birds, prayed, and, a bit later, picked some raspberries. In that simple activity, I realized that escaping the anxiety and constant stimulation of normal life is sometimes as easy as putting the phone down and going outside.

We live in an age where solutions to problems are overcomplicated. From morning routines, “ten new habits to transform your life,” supplements, workout routines—you name it—the world inundates us with an overwhelming amount of self-help advice. Rather than helping, it ends up adding to the overstimulation, creating more stress and less certainty regarding how to actually find a moment of peace.

I want to emphasize that achieving this peace is much easier than we make it seem. Yes, it takes discipline not to immediately return to our devices after stepping away. But it really can be as simple as putting the device down and going outside.

If you feel anxious, overwhelmed, or anything like that, let this be your reminder: the created world that God gave us exists right outside your door, and it can be enjoyed right now. Put down the phone. Go outside. Be at peace.