During COVID, I spent months in my bed sleeping, unable to go outside, and feeling incredibly disconnected from the world and people around me.

It felt lonely and flat out awful. After that, one would think that I would be outside at every opportunity I can, but as much as I love being outside, it’s still a struggle, because sitting on my phone and viewing the outside world from my phone feels much more interesting.

As I sit in my bed and scroll through TikTok, I see trends popping up that glorify the same gross habits and ideas that I try to move past. Because of the addictive algorithm perfectly crafted just for me it makes it so hard to put my phone down and go outside even though I know it would make me feel better.

A common phrase used on TikTok is “bed rot”, which glamorizes the idea of feeding into depressive habits and laying in bed all day. On many social media platforms, the idea of bed rotting has become something that is considered cute or relatable, And while it may be relatable, it is definitely not cute.

As we continue to support the trends that highlight and romanticize mental health issues, we continue to prioritize staying in bed over going outside. According to University of California Davis Health, being outside can increase focus and concentration, lowering heart rates, and increase sleep quality. By focusing on going outside and getting the sun we need, it will be pushed to have better habits and better health.

As you become older, there will be less and less free time to frolic in fields or use the day off of school to explore. Most energy will be devoted to family, jobs, further schooling, and more, rather than things that are appealing and healthy. Youth is time to explore outside your phone, so why not take the opportunity to do so?

According to Must See Denver, within the Denver metro area, there are nearly 20,000 acres of city and mountain parkland, more than 250 individual urban parks, and about 850 miles of paved and off-street bike trails. With the accessibility of the state park being so close and the amount of free parks nearby, there is no reason we shouldn’t take advantage of all of the free outdoor space.

Creek sits directly next to The Cherry Creek Reservoir as well, so rather than sitting on your phone, you should take a little walk in the reservoir that’s wildly accessible and take care of your mental and physical health?

Whenever I sit in my bed for days and don’t go outside, I feel isolated and disconnected from the world. When I go for a walk with my dogs or sit on my porch and read, its so much more beautiful and real then when I see a video of a view from a random person on social media. I feel more connected when I’m experiencing life rather than just watching it. So choose to go outside rather than staying indoors and prioritize yourself over a fun TikTok video or Instagram post.

Not only are there the benefits of an increase in mental health or lowering stress, it’s also just fun to play outside in the snow or go for a bike ride during the spring or summer. When I took the time to go outside, no matter the season, I found a sense of beauty that I will never be able to find scrolling through TikTok or Instagram.