Nature Doesn't Ask Anything of You

Kellie Varlet
4 days ago
4 min read

A reminder that you don't have to earn rest.

No Phone Service for Two Days

There was no phone service for most of the weekend. We were away with family and friends, up in the hills somewhere with a view that stretched out forever, and at some point, I stood there with everyone for a minute doing absolutely nothing, which is not something I normally let myself do.

Nothing happened. That's kind of the whole point of what I want to say here. Nothing happened and nobody needed anything from me, and it was one of the best parts of the weekend.

The trees didn't care that I hadn't replied to anyone. Nobody out there was checking my step count. I stood with the people I love, looking at a view none of us had to do anything to deserve.

Everything Else Seems to Want Something

We don't really have many places left like that. Places that don't want something from us.

Work wants your output. Your phone wants your attention, constantly, even when you're trying to ignore it. Even wellness has turned into something you have to perform now — have you moved enough, slept enough, meditated, hit your steps, drunk enough water. It's exhausting, this constant low hum of things expecting something from you.

Nature doesn't do that. A tree isn't tracking your pace. The view doesn't care if your hair's a mess or you've had two coffees and no breakfast. Nobody's keeping score out there. And for most women I know who are juggling roughly a thousand invisible things at once, that's rare. Maybe even a bit confronting at first, because we're so used to needing to justify our time.

*Weekend in Wollemi National Park. Looks like the kangaroos wanted in on it too.*

Turns Out It's Not Just a Nice Feeling

Time outdoors without a structured task attached to it lowers cortisol and shifts your nervous system into a calmer state quickly. Even a few unstructured minutes does something. I think it works precisely because there's nothing to achieve. No version of the experience you're supposed to be having. You're there, with the people around you, taking it in.

A Backyard Works Just as Well

I'm not talking about needing a whole weekend away with no phone service. That helped, sure, but it's not realistic for most people most of the time.

A few minutes in the backyard does the same thing. Lying on the grass for a bit. Sitting near an open door. A walk with no destination and no podcast playing, where you're not trying to hit a step goal or plan tomorrow in your head. Noticing the air. Whatever sound is nearby. Letting it be completely unproductive.

A Few Ways to Actually Do This

If you want to give it a go this week, here's what that could look like.

Step outside without your phone, even for five minutes. Leave it inside on purpose. You'll notice how often your hand wants to reach for something that isn't there.

Sit somewhere instead of walking somewhere. We default to movement so quickly. Sometimes sitting on the step, the grass, the back deck, is enough.

Pick one sense and follow it. What can you hear right now. What does the air feel like on your skin. Small, simple, doesn't need to be deep.

Let a walk be aimless. No destination, no fitness tracker, no plan for what you'll think about. If your mind wanders to your to do list, notice it and come back to where you are.

Do it with someone, not always alone. Nature doesn't need to be a solo pursuit. Some of the best unstructured time is shared, like a weekend with people you love and nowhere in particular to be.

None of these need to take long. Five or ten minutes is enough to shift something.

It Might Feel Strange at First

If you've spent years treating rest like something you have to earn first, this might feel a bit strange to begin with. Like you should be doing something more useful.

You don't need to be.

Staying outside doing nothing isn't wasted time. It might be one of the only places left that doesn't expect anything back from you. Your body needs that more than it needs another task ticked off.

Nature was never going to ask you to be more productive or more on top of things. It lets you turn up as whoever you are that day. Tired, scattered, fine, whatever it is. Surrounded by people or completely on your own.

Maybe that's worth remembering next time you walk past your own backyard.