Prioritizing Awe
plus some discussion questions for April
Happy Monday and welcome to April! I love the Simon & Garfunkel song “April Come She Will” as we approach the warm months. It’s literally a new season, in lots of ways besides the weather. Here are some discussion questions to save to your phone and ask around dinner or popsicles this month:
This month’s theme for personal growth is Peacefulness. Have you ever been around someone who just seems calm inside? True “inner peace” is a very deep, spiritual concept that we won’t be talking about here—I write that kind of content at my blog Hope’s Notes—but this month we will discuss some practical ways to fight stress and anxiety and create some degree of peace.
I have great news: the most time-tested and effective way to do this also costs $0: spend time outside.
If you could bottle up the benefits of spending time in nature and sell it as a pill, you could charge tens of thousands of dollars. There have been numerous studies that suggest a connection between nature and healing. For example:
Recovering surgery patients with a window view of trees used fewer pain meds and recovered more quickly than patients with views of a brick wall (Ulrich 1984)
People who spent at least two hours a week in green spaces had noticeably better health and psychological well-being (White 2019)
There have been links between contact with nature and community cohesion/lower crime (Weinstein 2015)
And there are many more. You don’t need to read more studies, though, because I’m sure you’ve experienced it: you have an awful day then you take a walk, smell the fresh air, feel the breeze, and see a sunset, ocean, or even just a tree that’s bigger than you…and suddenly your problems seem a little smaller. Because they are.
I suspect that one of the reasons we feel better after being outside is because of awe. It is good for our mental health to be in awe. It makes us happy and hopeful to be amazed—even surprised—by beauty.
(As a Christian, being in awe of God is where my heart is at home.)
Spending time in nature as a family is an incredibly efficient way to find healing for the body, mind, and spirit because it benefits everyone in your family all at the same time.
So, as families, let’s focus on Peacefulness this month. Let’s prioritize our mental health together. And let’s do it by enjoying the great outdoors.
What To Do Outside
The first question you’re thinking is probably “What are we supposed to do outside?” Not everyone lives in a nature-rich area, either.
As someone who comes from Florida suburbs, I know the challenges of spending time outside when you don’t live near a ton of parks or hikes. Here’s my advice: Which of your normal everyday activities can be brought outside? You might find that choosing to do things outside creates fewer messes for you. It’s a win win win.
Have your kids do their homework outside
Eat as many meals as you can on your driveway, yard, patio, etc.; cheese boards and foods with communal plates work extra well for this
Ask local Facebook groups about the best places to take walks; if your area lacks public parks, some wealthier neighborhoods might have beautiful walking trails you can visit; you can also check Alltrails
Make a list of your friends who are okay with spontaneous invitations, and ask them to join you when you visit the playground. Time outside goes much more quickly—for your kids and for you—when you have friends!
Bring watercolors and paint outside!
Read aloud outside! Invite your kids to bring a beach towel and just lay down and relax, play in dirt, or eat popcorn while you read to them
1000 Hours Outside’s blog and podcast are always gold mines of encouragement
On Friday, we will share more ideas for things to do outside. I’d love to hear some of your favorites till then, and we’ll try them out!
One more thing: though we support being environmentally conscious, this might be a good month to use paper plates and plastic baggies to make meal cleanup simpler! Let’s all master the art of eat-outside meals 😉
I hope this was helpful and encouraging!
Warmly,
Hope from Family Scripts
P.S. I recently discovered a beautiful song for the spring months: “Gilded” by Maddy Hunt. I hope these next few months feel like new life coming out of winter’s valley ❤️