Are we losing resilience to the cold?
Spending a lot of time outdoors has highlighted an interesting development in my tolerance to varying weather conditions. As the temperature drops, I find myself more comfortable enduring longer durations outside compared to when I was bound by the constraints of a conventional 9-5.
I’ve also noticed a pattern amongst the children that attend my forest school sessions. It’s often those (who’s families I know) that spend more time outside outside of school, who seem more resilient to the elements and cope better with changing weather conditions and last longer than their less outside friends who can often be heard muttering, ”Can we go inside now…”
That’s not to say I don’t feel the cold, the wintery snap of the last few days has even the hardiest of folk reaching for their extra layers and lovely warm gloves, but, in general, in an unscientific approach, I’m correlating the more time I spend outside with re-building resilience to the conditions.
Then I thought some more… a dangerous thing I know.
We, broadly speaking, are so used to being warm in our daily lives.
From heated homes to heated cars, to insulated jackets, fleece lined beanies, thermal layers, and hand warmers. We’re wrapped up in a protective bubble of warmth that shields us from the elements, which I know most of you are now saying to yourself “But winter is cold, why wouldn’t I want to be warm and cozy?”.
Just a little caveat… I know we’re all built differently. My wife for example, suffers with raynaud’s, particularly when it’s cold, so these musings may not apply to everyone.
But what if we were to step outside of this bubble and embrace the cold a little bit more?
I’m not saying lets get hypothermic. I’m not suggesting ice baths, cold water dips or even foregoing our winter coats, but what if we were to spend a little more time outside in the colder weather without all the paraphanialia and luxuries that we’re so used to? Or maybe lets make it even easier than that - wear all your layers, just spend more time outside.
Building resilience through exposure to colder temperatures is not a new concept - you’d have to be hiding under a rock (or ice cube?) to not notice the number of sauna, ice baths or cold water dips that have been popping up over recent years.
What if we didn’t need to go to such extreme measures to reap the benefits of cold exposure? What if, just by spending a bit more time outside each day, we could improve our own internal central heating? Studies have shown that regular exposure to colder temperatures can improve our body's ability to regulate and adapt to temperature changes, leading to improved overall health and well-being.
I started to notice something similar in the children attending our various forest school sessions here in Sussex. The younger children were typically more resilient to the weather change than the older, an observation confirmed by my forest school pal Derry in her recent instagram post from her sessions. As she so simply puts it, “is resilience something we slowly build, or something we slowly lose?”
It's an interesting question to ponder.
Spending more time outside, especially in colder temperatures, may not only improve our physical health but also help us develop mental and emotional resilience, something we aim to support in those who attend our forest school sessions.
Embrace the cold and build your own resilience, one chilly day at a time. And who knows, you might just find yourself enjoying the crisp winter air more than you ever thought possible. After all, there's nothing like a brisk walk in the cold to make you feel alive and invigorated. So don't be afraid of the cold; embrace it and enjoy your time outside.
#EmbraceTheCold #KidsAdventurist #ForestSchool #GetOutside