Dr. Suzanne Hackenmiller on why a little less screen time and a little more nature can help us reconnect with what matters.
Summer has a way of disappearing fast. Between travel, packed schedules, and the rush to make every weekend count, even time off can start to feel busy. That’s why an offline summer can feel so restorative. When we spend time outside without distractions, we give our mind and body a chance to reset.
What I love most about this reset is how accessible it can be. You can feel the benefits of time outside any day, right in your neighborhood. In fact, some of the benefits begin almost immediately. Studies show that within just the first five minutes of being outside, we can experience improvements in mood, and even short walks can help reduce tension and mental fatigue.
As both a physician and a certified forest therapy guide, I often explain this as giving your brain a break from the focused, effortful attention mode many of us stay in all day. Nature invites a softer kind of attention that is more about sensory awareness and being present. Outside, we notice birdsong, shifting light, the breeze on our skin. That sensory shift can help ease rumination, lower stress, and create space to breathe a little deeper.
Why unplugging matters
Many of us are craving simpler, more sustainable ways to care for ourselves. Time outside can lower cortisol, reduce blood pressure, and improve heart rate variability — all signs that the nervous system is moving away from stress and toward recovery.
There is also a physiological reason being outside can feel so different. Trees and plants release natural compounds called phytoncides, and research suggests that breathing them in may support immune function by increasing natural killer cell activity.
My tips for an offline summer
Start with 20 minutes
Some people think that if they can’t spend a full day outside, it’s not worth doing. I don’t see it that way. Even 20 minutes outside can meaningfully improve mood, memory, and cognitive function, and for many people that is a much more realistic place to begin. A short walk before work, a lunch break outside, or an evening stroll can all count.
Embrace nature that’s nearby
An offline summer can be close to home. A tree-lined street, regional park, neighborhood trail, or botanical garden, can offer meaningful connections to nature. As long as you’re offline, taking in the nature around you, you’re doing it right.
Think weekly, not all at once
Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with meaningful health and well-being benefits. That can look like twenty minutes a day, a few longer walks across the week, or a mix of short breaks and one bigger outing. The point is consistency, not perfection. And if you are someone who already spends serious time outside, that weekly rhythm can also include the bigger efforts that make summer feel expansive: a dawn start, a long trail day, or a weekend built around being somewhere your social feed is no longer the most interesting thing to see.
Let your phone support the moment, not steal it
One of my simplest recommendations is to be more intentional about how you use your phone outside. Pause the notifications that pull you back into group chats, inboxes, and scrolling. When the distractions stop, it becomes much easier to actually register what is around you, and that is often when the restorative effects start to build.
Prepare for potentially spotty cell service before you leave
For hikers who embrace going beyond cell service, preparation is part of what makes the experience more freeing. Download AllTrails maps for the trail before you go, and if you are exploring a larger region or national park, download the wider area, too, so you have what you need if plans change. The point is not to stay glued to your phone once you are out there. It is the opposite. When you trust that the important information is already with you, it becomes much easier to give the trail your full attention.
Interrupt stress before it snowballs
I often encourage my patients to be proactive about resetting rather than waiting until stress peaks. If you know a week will be demanding, schedule outdoor time in advance. Add it to your calendar. Step away from the computer for a lap around the block, looking up while you walk. Getting outside is one of the fastest ways to interrupt the cycle of stress, anxiety, and rumination.
A gentler way to spend summer
An offline summer does not need to be all or nothing. It can start with one quieter walk or one afternoon spent outside without an agenda. That time adds up, helping us connect with ourselves and more deeply with the world around us. Sometimes, that is enough to remember what summer is supposed to feel like.
Suzanne Bartlett Hackenmiller is a physician, certified forest therapy guide, author of “The Outdoor Adventurer’s Guide to Forest Bathing,” and chief medical advisor for AllTrails. Dr. Hackenmiller is board certified in OB-Gyn, Integrative Medicine, and Lifestyle Medicine, and has certifications in herbal medicine, Ayurveda, and meditation. She has served as medical director of the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. Currently, Dr. Hackenmiller practices at HonorHealth Integrative Medicine in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States.
