Get Out.

The human body has an amazing ability to recover – from injury, illness, exertion or stress. B But you have to give it some breathing space. Our lives today are far removed from the ones we were designed to live. We spend hours each day indoors, tapping away at keyboards, fixated on screens – or, if voiceover is your racket, encased in a booth/cupboard/other dark-and-soundproofed space.

That’s not to say that making shapes with words isn’t fun; it’s the best job in the world. But it also – out of necessity – shuts out nature. Birdsong, the wind in the trees or the rain on your window are not (usually) things you want on your audio file. But they’re exactly the sorts of things that recentre us and remind us of our connection to the earth and the elements. And when we’re surrounded by them, a veil lifts, a weight drops – and something flows in that cleanses us and resets the clock. We become human again.

Its easy to forget to do this – so many things in the diary. But I can’t function without it. Bookending my day with time outdoors – in the early hours, when the world is quiet and untouched, and at dusk when lamplight and sunsets create a different mood – reminds me that whatever chaos or excitement has occurred in the hours between, none of it really matters. We’re all part of something so much greater, something that’s been here long before us and that will continue long after.

Of course, there’s a practical application to all this. Just a short time outdoors each day lowers cortisol (our stress hormone), calms the brain and clears mental fatigue, allowing us to focus better when we return to our technology caves. It also promotes better sleep, higher creativity, a stronger immune system and a healthier heart – in short, there’s nothing not to like!

So – walk. Or run. Or climb. Or talk to the squirrels. Or breath. Or just be. Just make sure that at some point, you step over the threshold.