How Do You "Touch Grass"?
Open Discussion for Premium Subscribers
Sometimes while scrolling through videos of completely unhinged trans-activists, or teens shouting primal screams in response to being misgendered, you’ll see a comment or two stating “these people need to go outside and touch grass.”
These comments, which may be delivered in a snarky fashion on social media, are actually spot on. There have been numerous studies on the mental health benefits of being in nature, everything from hiking, to forest bathing, to literally just touching grass.
And you don’t have to take an elaborate trip to the some far-off jungle to reap the benefits of this. Dr. Paul Piff, Associate Professor of Psychological Science at UC Irvine, who is quoted in this article, states:
The benefits of nature exposure can be pretty quick to emerge. Even sixty seconds of focused nature time …can make people feel happier, more content, and even kinder and more compassionate toward others. We just completed a pretty long immersive study of different kinds of nature – your backyard vs, say, the giant sequoias. Pretty surprisingly, we find that it doesn’t matter so much what kind of nature you get out into, but rather that you get out into it.
This advice is not only good for struggling teens and young adults and activists on the “other side” of this debate, it’s also great advice for parents, therapists, doctors, and probably everybody else in our community here!
So, our question for you this week is:
How do you touch grass?
Please share in the comments below!
Heaven is other people (take that Sartre)! I start my day by going to the local Highschool to greet the kids. I and some other locals started doing it during Covid when behavior broke down. We show up to say good morning and to fist bump them and to bring the occasional bag of nutritionally worthless treats.
Just showing up worked like magic, and the disruption pretty much stopped, so we had a discussion, the three of us hard core people, about whether we should go the next year. We decided to just see how it went. That was three years ago. Some kids I just know by sight. Others I know by name. I have grown very attached to the men who turn up, and to the students. My own sons aren’t there any longer, but the school always gives us tickets to the graduation.
I have so enjoyed watching these kids grow up and into their confidence. I have a few special ones who I joke with and one who won’t fist bump (dramatically!) but then gave me a big hug at Christmas.
It’s funny how people you don’t know intimately can matter so much. Now and then I run into one of the kids in the supermarket, and it’s always nice. Makes me get a little lump in my throat when I think of them.
Just walking every morning. Yes, I'm always listening to gender related podcasts, but I'm moving, getting fresh air, and seeing the seasons gradually change, perhaps allowing me the hope that all this madness will one day end.