We started off Authentic October with a week of daily mindfulness meditation, then added 10 minutes of journaling the week after that. Now it’s time to deepen our connection with our authentic selves even further, by adding another, slightly longer non-daily exercise in authenticity.

This week’s practice is to spend 30 minutes with yourself 3 times this week somewhere in nature. Nature is restorative and connective and many studies show that spending time in nature — especially alone — is good for stress relief, focus, mood improvement, deeper self-connection, and overall well-being.

Spending time outdoors helps us get rid of some of the noise of daily life, routines, responsibilities, and even habits. It’s an opportunity to be away from distractions that fragment and disrupt our link to ourselves. We may not even notice it, because we’re so used to those distractions.

I’m not suggesting you trek to the deepest, remotest woods, unless that’s what works for you. Do what makes sense and is accessible for you. If there’s a city park with a walking trail, a local greenway, a lake or river you can sit beside, or even a comfortable spot under a tree, that counts. Use what you have and do what you can. I’ll share a few of my ideas below (whatever you choose, make sure you do it safely and responsibly).

• Go for a walk in a park.

• Take a hike in the woods.

• Ride a bike on a greenway, gravel road, bike trail.

• Take a kayak or other watercraft out on a lake.

• Sit outside for your meditation and/or journaling practice, and spend some extra time observing the sounds, sights, smells and sensations of being out there.

• Stretch or do yoga outside.

• Lay out a blanket or sit at a picnic table, and take yourself on a picnic.

• Take your indoor workout outdoors.

Instructions for an ideal experience

Give yourself at least 30 minutes with yourself in nature, 3 separate times this week. While you can definitely do a long hike and bang out the full 90 minutes in one day, the most important thing is actually not the total number of minutes. It’s more important to have those 3 separate 30-minute you-breaks, because the goal here is consistently checking in with yourself and giving yourself room to breathe and be.

Remove and avoid distractions. Put your phone on silent mode. When you’re out there, don’t engage with anything that might be taking your attention away from yourself (like listening to a podcast or texting or reading email). Avoid interacting with technology as much as possible when you’re out in nature. Also, don’t lose yourself in conversation with others, if you can help it. Remember that this is your time for you. Time to be with and connect with just yourself.

Tune in to yourself. Observe your thoughts, your sensations, how you’re feeling overall, and what’s coming up for you. What are you learning about yourself? What parts of yourself are speaking loudest when you’re surrounded by nature?

Don’t worry, you’re not doing it wrong. If it’s been a while or you’re not used to spending time alone in nature, you might feel uncomfortable or think to yourself “Well, I’m here, now what? How do I do this?” You don’t need to do anything other than what you’re already doing. Being here is what matters most. Whether you sit for 30 minutes of silence with yourself or you go for a meandering walk, there’s no bad way to shape this time of connection with your authentic self. The goal is to be quiet, with yourself, outside the day-to-day. If you’re doing that, you’re doing it right.