By: Anjali Kumar
My first hour was sitting in front of the television and absorbing every commercial, breaks, advertisements, and the main show itself. The show I was watching was Animal Planet, and I watched the show explain the habitat of Cheetahs and their pack’s hierarchal structure. I watched at how the intelligent cheetah would sneak up to its prey slowly, and then bolt immediately for its kill. I learned that cheetahs can switch the degree of their run efficiently during their chase of the prey. I was actually very interested in the show itself and found myself distracted and focused on it for most of the hour. However, at times I noticed myself zoning out, unable to view the constant fast-moving images in front of my eyes. My eyes at around 10 minutes, before the hour was done, became tired and I would notice myself looking at other objects around my living room instead of the television. My family would walk by as I watched Animal Planet and would be interested in the show as well. My sister walked by and became engrossed in the detailed narration of the cheetahs and their daily lives. She sat down with me and watched until my hour was over. I continued to watch my show, and although it was television, and the stereotypical mind-numbing shows would be a channel away, I gained knowledge about the cheetah from Animal Planet.
My second hour of just being outdoors was a walk to the closest park near me. I visited Morven Park in Leesburg, VA and I felt very peaceful during this hour. All the worries and constant stresses surrounding me seemed to melt away as soon as I walked into this naturalistic environment. I walked through the park with my dog, Snoopy, and saw a very interesting building which looked like a house. There were mini houses inside as well, and I believe it was for the public to take tours of, as these were most likely historical sites. As I walked through the park, I noticed the slight wind brush against my face and flow through my hair; the atmosphere around me made me feel very calm, and I noticed that Snoopy also felt a lot happier sniffing through the grass and smelling new scents. I walked through a paved trail throughout the park and walked about 1.4 miles in total. I saw joggers on a mission, people strolling on the same trail with their pets, and families with energetic kids excited to be in nature. I found a beautiful area where the trees caved into a path and bent down and took a picture of Snoopy in the area. I continued my walk without touching my phone, keeping it with me for security, but not being distracted by it. It was a very relaxing hour and when we came back to the car, Snoopy did not want to leave! I stayed there for 10 more minutes and finally convinced Snoopy to get into the car and leave the park. As I drove back, I noticed how energetic and happy I felt after being at the park, and found myself wanting to go back.
I learned from this experience that being in the environment without any phones or devices is not only healthy for the physical body, but also mentally very calming. I have always been told that nature is healing, but never fully understood the meaning behind it until now. I also learned that as I was sitting and watching Animal Planet, my mental state switched to being not tuned into the channel anymore at the end of the hour. I was fully aware during my trip to the park, but as I was watching my TV show, I found myself zoning out. I was very interactive and energetic during my hour of nature, but wasn’t during the hour of TV.
Taken by Anjali Kumar