Ep. 176 - Where the Wi-Fi Ends: Finding Calm in a Noisy World

 Sometimes the best medicine for a tired mind isn’t found in doing more—it’s found in stepping outside. In a world where almost everything asks us to plug in, true restoration often comes from stepping away. In this episode, we’ll talk about how calm, clarity, and renewal aren’t hidden in another app or screen—they’re just a few steps away. Whether it’s a walk outside, stillness without distraction, or a moment of quiet, discover how simple shifts can recharge you in ways technology never could. 

Transcript

I recently was able to join a few friends for a little nature getaway. And lucky for me, I live in one of the most beautiful corners of the United States: the Pacific Northwest. Think of snow-capped mountains, towering trees, glittering lakes, and even the Pacific Ocean, and there’s about a dozen shades of blue where the water meets the sky. I know–so nerdy.

For a girl who grew up in the desert heat of Phoenix, Arizona, living here still feels like nirvana — even 20 years after I moved here.

For this recent adventure, we hopped on a ferry and took it out to one of the islands tucked up near the Canadian border. It was just one of those perfect, sunny days where you can see for miles and the air and views were like a giant hug from Mother Nature.

I know I sound like a commercial but there’s something about that day that has stayed with me. It’s like the afterglow of being unplugged — this steady hum of happiness that followed me back into “real life,” and that’s what this episode is about.

The Bottom Line on Top is that sometimes, all we need for restoration is just a few steps away from everything that plugs in.

That experience reminded me of a concept from Japanese culture that I heard about a few years ago: shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing.

Shinrin-yoku is the practice of immersing yourself in nature - bathing your senses in the sights, sounds, and textures around you. The popularity of the practice began in Japan in the 1980s as an antidote to rising stress and burnout, and there are now decades of research that back up what many of us feel instinctively: time in nature can rewire us a little bit (or at least reset it). 

It’s sort of like a human recharging station, but no wi-fi password is required. 

Another part of the nature research that I find fascinating is something called grounding, or earthing. It’s as simple as placing your bare feet — or hands — directly on natural surfaces like grass, dirt, sand, or stone. And even those few minutes you do it, can help regulate cortisol levels and activate calming neural pathways in your brain and body.

There’s a little poetic truth to that practice: reconnecting with the ground beneath us literally grounds us. If that’s a little too woo for you, here are some science snacks to help you consider it more:

• Stress dialed down → Just 20 minutes outside can lower cortisol levels — your body’s stress hormone — by up to 15–20%.
• Mood reset → Green spaces and water exposure boost serotonin and dopamine, the feel-good chemicals your brain loves to spend time with.
• Attention restored → Within cognitive psychology, Attention Restoration Theory suggests that nature environments create a state of cognitive soft fascination. They gently hold your attention without overloading it, which allows your brain’s executive control networks to rest a bit and recharge.
• Studies have even shown that short walks in nature environments can increase activity of the immune cells that help fight illness - and those benefits were seen up to 30 days later.

In short: nature doesn’t just feel good and look good — it’s doing good things to you. Sounds simple, but there’s growing evidence it has real physiological benefits like:

• Reduced inflammation: Some studies have shown that grounding (having patients touch different parts of the earth or just be outside) have decreased markers of inflammation and even speed up tissue repair.
• A calmer nervous system directly improves sleep quality.
• Improved heart rate variability: that contact with nature, is a marker of resilience and overall well-being as you look at the calming effect in your heart.

And you don’t need a ferry ride or a national park pass to get any of these benefits. You can take a few nature snacks — little doses of sensory connection that help your brain and your body. Think of something like:

• Soundscapes: Pop in your earbuds, go to your favorite audio platform and listen to ocean waves, bird song, nature sounds. These natural sounds in an auditory element can lower heart rate and blood pressure within minutes.
• Green glimpses: Even a quick view of greenery from a window, balcony, street corner, or that shelf over there can improve mood and attention. (There have been some studies in hospitals where patients are seen to recover faster if they have a view of trees from their beds!). If you’re not nature-adjacent, change the background of your screens to have a photo of something you find soothing. 
• Water counts, too. Lakes, rivers, fountains, even shower-time mindfulness — being near or hearing water has a measurable calming effect on the nervous system. 

When we let ourselves unplug, even briefly, the world has a way of plugging us back in — to ourselves, to each other, and maybe to something bigger.

So the next time your brain feels crowded or your calendar feels relentless, try a little nature snack. Step outside if you can, put your feet somewhere. Breathe. Listen to something. Let your nervous system remember what calm feels like and that it’s always within reach.

The goal isn’t always to get out into nature — sometimes it’s just about letting a little nature into you.

So in the days ahead, see where there is a little space to make space. Think of it as an organic way that you can take extra good care of you.