When it comes to the weather in Louisiana, there’s really no telling what’s going to happen from one week to the next.
But right now, with blue skies and daily highs forecasted in the 60s and 70s, we are currently living through the best weather of the year. Next August, as we trudge across the Quad at 8 A.M., already panting for breath, we will look back on this beautiful week and yearn for such a non-sweaty existence.
At this point in the semester, it can be so easy to stay holed up inside with the never-ending responsibilities of assignments and virtual classes. The blue square of sky through the window becomes our only link to the outdoors, worlds away from the computer screen directly before our eyes.
With so much of my life now spent online, I often feel alienated from everything tangible and real. Going outside helps a lot, even if only to continue staring at my laptop.
No matter how constrained my life’s sphere has become, it’s reassuring to feel on my skin the same sunlight and wind and grass as always.
I’m far from the only one whose anxiety lessens once I step outside. According to research from the University of Minnesota, exposure to green spaces and sounds of nature has been shown to “reduc[e] blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones.” Being outside also improves our concentration and can promote a greater sense of earthly connection and meaning.
According to Harvard Medical School, the increased light exposure from being outside helps make you healthier and happier. Vitamin D, created from sunlight, has “protective effects against everything from osteoporosis to cancer to depression to heart attacks and strokes.”
Obviously, Vitamin D is not some magical panacea and overexposure to the sun has its negative health effects as well — but a little sunshine, even for just 10 to 15 minutes a day, certainly goes a long way.
It’s not just sunlight that carries outdoor benefits. Being in “green spaces” elevates your mood levels immensely. One study found that subjects felt “more energetic and positive” after exercising outdoors than after exercising indoors. Why not ditch the UREC treadmills for a day and jog around the LSU Lakes instead?
Plus, if you’re itching for greater social freedom, moving your activities outside has its pragmatic epidemiological benefits. The CDC even recommends “prioritiz[ing] attending outdoor activities over indoor activities,” as the increased ventilation of outdoor spaces discourages the spread of the coronavirus.
Take advantage of this beautiful weather. Invite some people to a homework circle on the Parade Ground. String up a hammock by Campus Lake and ward off the mean ducks. Host a kaffeeklatsch under the banana leaves of the Highland Coffees patio. Rent a pair of the ubiquitous Gotcha bikes and have a cute cycling date around the Garden District.
Even if the furthest you venture outside is your front porch, I urge everyone to breathe in some fresh air this week. It’s a small act of self-care at a time when we need it most.
So whatever you do this week, even if all you’re doing is stressing out about the election or your course load, make sure you do it outside.
Cécile Girard is a 20-year-old psychology junior from Lake Charles.
