Time in nature
Deliberate time outdoors among trees, water or open sky, most days
Getting outside on purpose rather than as a side effect of commuting: woods, a garden, a shoreline, a park. There is no target pace or distance and no device involved. What people describe is a drop in mental noise and an easier time thinking, and green space has a reasonable research literature behind it on stress markers. Access is rarely the obstacle. Scheduling is, which is why this usually gets bolted onto a walk or a dog that has to go out anyway.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Oprah WinfreyDoes it
Talk show host and producer · The Oprah Winfrey Show
After 25 years of being driven to the studio in the dark and leaving after 8 p.m., she says she takes every chance now to get outdoors. Focusing on the stillness of a tree or the detail of a leaf is what centers her, and getting outside is what she credits with reviving her energy.
Source: Oprah.com: What Oprah Knows for Sure About Spending Time in Nature
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under stress or energy.
- HabitFREE, no cost
Daily walking
A long walk most days, often without headphones
On record from 19 of 62 tracked people: 14 do it, 5 recommend it - Habit$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Cooking family dinner
Making the evening meal from scratch as the default, kids in the kitchen
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
High five in the mirror
A silent high five to your own reflection after brushing your teeth
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Morning puttering
A slow, unscheduled first hour or two: coffee, the paper, breakfast, no meetings
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - Habit$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Vegetable gardening
Growing food you then cook, on a plot, a raised bed or a balcony
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - HabitFREE, no cost
Work-life harmony
Treat work and home as feeding each other rather than as a strict trade-off
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.