Free Your Mind

I’ve written before about the importance of leaving your house when you work at home. Being stuck in the same place, all day, every day, leads to cabin fever which may take on various forms: loneliness, despair, depression, anger, and more. But now we find ourselves in a time when connecting with others is difficult and getting out of the house is socially irresponsible. So what do we do?

Personally, I’ve found myself sitting under my maple tree a great deal more. I have a covered deck (see prior posts about working from home while living through that construction!) and a nice patio. But I’ve been drawn to this bench out in my yard. I’ve never sat there much… until now.

Why do I sit there now? What changed? As I thought about it, I realized it was multiple factors. First and foremost, it is further away from my house. It gives me the feeling of getting out even though I haven’t really gone anywhere. Second, it has no walls and no roof. I am not enclosed by anything, which provides me more feeling of freedom and less entrapment. It feels roomy and limitless. Additionally, it provides me with a different view. The view is one I am not used to, one I don’t see out my window all day. This simple bench under a tree has renewed my spirit.

Of course, there are the other benefits of being outdoors such as fresh air, sunshine, disconnection from devices, etc. But I could have had these benefits in my prior outdoor hangouts. This one is different.

I share to let you all know that I, like you, struggle with being locked down. I miss the things I did to disconnect from work and reconnect with myself. I miss the adventures and the people on “the outside”. So while social distancing is still active, and will be for a while, I have to find new ways to reset.

I encourage you to look for this opportunity. Seek an outdoor location, socially distant per your guidelines, and soak in all that is great about being outside. Use this opportunity to explore a new vantage point, looking at something with renewed appreciation. I may have seen my neighbors tree many times before, but I never truly saw it until now. Look around you and appreciate the freedom that outside offers and remember that you’re only confined if you allow your mind to be.

Find your bench.