I'm NK, and this is Basket Case.
What is wrong with me?
A show about the ways that mental illness is shaped by not just biology.
Swaps of different meds.
But by culture and society.
By looking closely at the conditions that cause mental distress, I find out why so many of us are struggling to feel sane, what we can do about it, and why we should care.
Listen to Basket Case every Tuesday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Good morning. This is Laura.
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to get outside because you probably need more sky in your life.
On a recent No Stupid Questions podcast, the hosts discussed the statistic that Americans spend 93 % of their time indoors in climate control.
Host Angela Duckworth summed that up as 7 % sky, 93 % roof.
I think that's a believable statistic.
With family life and work, many of us spend the vast majority of our time indoors, or at least in our cars.
Now, I will point out that when you run the numbers, 7 % isn't actually all that bad.
7 % of 24 hours is about an hour and 41 minutes.
7 % of 168 hours, that's the number of hours in a week, is 11 hours and 46 minutes.
I would guess that the average adult knowledge worker might spend less than 11 hours and 46 minutes per week outside, since people who work outside and children could drive up the average.
In any case, though, this is a useful number to think about as you ponder your own schedule.
How much of a typical week are you outside?
How much time do you spend walking to and from your car or to and from the bus stop?
Are there any destinations you regularly walk or bike to?
How much time do you spend outside exercising?
What about socializing?
Do you spend any time working in your yard or sitting outside relaxing?
After you figure out how much time you currently spend outside, set a goal to aim for a little bit more.
For instance, if you currently spend 7 hours per week outside, you will find that that's about 4 .2 % of your time.
You could set a goal to get to 5 % of your time outdoors, which would be just under 8 .5 hours per week.
An hour and a half increase from what you're currently getting.
Spending 1 % or even 2 % more of your time outside could be an attainable goal in the short term.
If that still doesn't get you to the national average of 7%, meeting or even exceeding 7 % could be a long -term goal.
Now, I will admit that outside isn't always lovely or perfect.
I remember hearing a comedian complaining about camping once with the line that it took people a long time to invent inside.
And it's true. Air conditioning and heat and insulated roofs are amazing and allow us to think about things beyond how hot or cold it is.
That said, we sometimes go overboard with the whole inside thing.
Being outside, even in non -perfect conditions, is a known mood booster.
Plus, when we are outside, we are probably less likely to engage in activities like watching TV or scrolling around on social media that are kind of low on the happiness scale.
So spending a little more time outside is probably a good idea for most people.
Not if you chop wood for a living, but for everyone else.
If you try getting more sky, you can tell me how you do it.
You can reach me at laura .lauravandercam .com.
In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening.
And here's to making the most of our time.
Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at laura .lauravandercam .com.
Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Media.
For more podcasts from I Heart Media, please visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
I'm NK, and this is Basket Case.
What is wrong with me?
A show about the ways that mental illness is shaped by not just biology.
Swaps of different meds.
But by culture and society.
By looking closely at the conditions that cause mental distress, I find out why so many of us are struggling to feel sane, what we can do about it, and why we should care.
Listen to Basket Case every Tuesday on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
There's so much beauty in Mexican culture, like mariachis, delicious cuisine, and even lucha libre.
Join us for the new podcast, Lucha Libre Behind the Mask, a 12 episode podcast in both English and Spanish about the history and cultural richness of lucha libre.
And I'm your host, Santos Escobar, Emperor of Lucha Libre, and a WWE superstar.
Listen to Lucha Libre Behind the Mask on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you stream podcasts.
