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Birding and Mental Health
762 Plays5 months ago
Join Dexter and Jason as they delve into the mental health benefits of birding. Even when you have to wake up at 4 am to see Greater Prairie Chickens in freezing cold weather, there is still an immense health benefit. Those moments when you can commune with and observe nature provide joy, anxiety reduction, stress reduction, happiness, and perspective. Sometimes we forget that birding presents challenges through adventure and pursuit of birds. The payoff for finally seeing the bird is a rush of endorphins. Additionally, the journey to the bird is just as valuable as seeing the bird.
We are inspired by mindful birders like Tammah Watts (author of Keep Looking Up: Your Guide to the Powerful Healing of Birdwatching). Do you check your mental state before and after you bird? Did you know that birding can be used to deal with grief? Do you ever feel like you’ve gotten physical exercise while birding? Do you feel better when you help other birders see birds?
Humans are social beings, and we built ways of interpreting the world through nature. We evolved within it, so it’s not surprising that nature directly connects to our mental health. Our brain was wired to pay attention to it. Watching birds survive also affects how we move forward in life. The struggle to provide for our families isn’t limited to humans; birds do the same. It’s important to try and connect with that. Like the small but powerful Blackpoll Warbler who travels thousands of miles and blesses us with its song for a few moments on its journey, we can take inspiration from its success.
Don’t shortchange the community connections and the support systems developed with those friendships. Those connections are also important for maintaining your mental health. This includes the proper use of your social media outlets. Have you adjusted your social media algorithms to show you bird joy and a positive bird community? One day, you never know, you may end up birding with your favorite homies and looking at Roseate Spoonbills!
Get out there and find some Bird Joy!
Be sure to follow our podcast on Instagram at @thebirdjoypod and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
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Transcript
Coping with Winter Blues through Birding
00:00:00
Speaker
um Do you get the winter blues? I do, I do man. I try to use a winter waterfowl and the occasional chance to check out some weird gulls to bring me out but you know that's really weather dependent and um outside of that man just bundling yourself up and hoodies and jackets and having to worry about catching the flu and, you know, putting on putting on that winter weight. Sometimes, you know, by the time you get to spring, you're just ready to let it all go. You know, the lack of vitamin D and calling. I can't tell you how excited I get when I hear like a dark eyed junko. Yes, or an American tree sparrow. Yeah. That occasional woodpecker, you know,
00:00:47
Speaker
yeah calling in as it's foraging around the trees looking for you know stuff that they hid a while back or whatever it may be but yeah i was thinking about that because i think a lot of people get the winter blues and i do get some respite once in a while like you mentioned sure some birds here or there but it's like it's so in between you know weird duck season is kind of fun not gonna lie It is. You do find yourself kind of yearning for migration and even not like migration went right away, but like the sounds of a cardinal. Yeah. How exciting is that, right? yeah Where you actually like hear it calling again. And next thing you know, it's the House Finch and then you start hearing Robbins and man, it starts to kind of
00:01:37
Speaker
chip away at this at the at the weight of the winter blues. I kind of find that in general
Birding's Positive Impact on Mental Health
00:01:43
Speaker
with birding, that birding as a whole has been really, really good for my mental health. And I know you and I have talked about this person in person, but I figured today be as good as any to to talk about birding and the benefits of birding and mental health with all of our listeners too. Yeah. I think it's a great time to talk about it. So whether it's change of season, change of life, Uh, struggles, challenges, triumphs, birding can provide you a space to get your mind right at times. And I would love to, uh, love to talk to the homies today a little bit about that. That's what we're going to do then. Welcome to the bird joy podcast. I am Dexter Patterson and I am Jason Hall. And this is the podcast for the burning homies that, uh, want to find a little bird joy. a little bird joy and hopefully you are ready for it because we're going to talk about birding and mental health. Let's go. Let's go, man. How are you? How are you feeling? How are you feeling right now? I think that's a good way to start off the episode. How's your mind? I'm pretty feeling pretty good. I'm not going to lie. I'm a little tired, i'm a little tired, but for good reason. You know, I.
00:02:52
Speaker
you know, lost some sleep going to look at a greater prairie chicken lek, you know. So I am, I am tired, but it's like you got to creep in the blind before the sun comes up because they're already out there, like getting ready to like start going at it. Daylight was burning, bro. It's like four 50 in the morning. My time. ah It's cold. I bet. um Um, it's cold. I'm in my bird nerd hoodie, you know, cause i a bird nerd would do something that crazy, right? Of course I get the coldest, like literally the week before we're in the seventies, almost 80 degree weather. And i'm here I am. It's like 25.
00:03:32
Speaker
ah And I'm cruising at 450 central standard time through the Bueno Vista grasslands to get in this blind to to wait for the greater prairie chicken lek. Our guide's like, I can hear the birds. I can hear the birds. She's like, well, we just got to go. We got to go for it. They'll fly away, but they'll come back. We get into the blinds. It's so cold.
00:03:56
Speaker
I'm thinking, who are you thinking at that moment? Yeah, at that point, I was questioning my own mental health, to be honest with you. Like, what is wrong with me? It was like, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. And i have ah it's so funny, last episode, we talked about family yeah and burning with family. And for my mom and I, like going to the Buena Vista Grasslands was kind of like her first trip. of like going to look for a bird with me because we were looking for snowy owls that was the first place she had ever went with me was the Buena Vista so for us to be back yeah because we also like we did not get a snowy owl but guess what we saw from afar when we were up there is i spotted some prairie chickens Wow. And they were, you know, they were, they were a good distance away from us, but like that was one bird that she became really curious about. And and it was just kind of part of that story of like returning back there. And now we're sitting in the blind and we're 10 feet away from them as they're just doing one of the coolest little yeah rituals that you'll ever see with all these males. and calling and they're booming. They're using those freaking air sacks on the side. Like it's so crazy to witness freezing, but I, I was just like, didn't care. But after three hours, I was like, looked at my mom. I'm like, and we could go, you know, cause like one thing you they do, there's a citizen science component. So you're documenting how many birds and yeah sure once all the hens leave the booming ground, you can leave.
00:05:31
Speaker
Cause the last thing we want to do is interrupt the potential connection between a male and a female and interrupt their breeding cycle or something like that. So if you're sitting in the blind, you're safe to leave once you don't see any more hands. So I'm like, the hands are gone. I can't feel my toes. come out
Birding for Mindfulness and Historical Connections
00:05:49
Speaker
Um, let's go. So she one that those yeah to in a different leg yeah yeah please god let's go so I'm hold back all of my envy, all of my jealousy around that experience. Cause it sounds amazing. And when I went to Saxon bog a few years ago, we tried to stop through the grasslands and find some. But I don't think we were really prepared for a how big it was there and be that no, you got to be up like super early. You can't just roll through, you know, it's not like that. And they are. They are, you know, quite rare and quite endangered. Right. So but talk to me about the progression of your mentors as you went through that. Right. So the excitement of getting out there. getting out there and then tell me what it felt like that moment that the sun broke or came up and you had perfect view of those birds because I saw your pictures on Instagram. They are fire. So tell me like like what did that what did that feel like? Did your mom express any change in emotion or mental is like talk to me about what that what that felt like I was just like, you know, like we said, this is the podcast for people that want a little bird joy. Yeah. And I was giddy. Yeah. Like I was kind of sitting in there where like I was really cold, but like I honestly didn't care. Yeah. Like looking back on it, I can make fun of myself because I do it all the time. You know, I just like, dude, you're nuts. Like you don't feel your feet and you think this is awesome. Yes, it was awesome. You know, I feel my feet. It was funny. We were driving back. I was like, mom, I i can feel my pinky toe again. You just start busting up laughing.
00:07:30
Speaker
I think mentally it was just like being just so that joy. When I talk about bird joy, it was that kind of that moment where I was just like, man, this is so cool. This is such a unique opportunity. And I was appreciative of the moment. I was appreciative of the moment. And I look over and I look over to my left and my mom's right there. And she's so giddy too. And like we we had to tame ourselves sometimes. And she gets excited like me. <unk> It's similar to her like whispering to me with, hey, i know like working to say hike how we're talking in the blind because we're like, we don't want to scare any of the birds away. But yeah, honestly, yeah, we we didn't scare them away. they They stayed around for for quite a while. And then, you know, you leave that just kind of filled with gratitude, this sense of ah reflection of the moment of kind of coming full circle to the place like my mom's curiosity and birds kind of really peaked.
00:08:25
Speaker
and then coming back off of that experience to have an experience like that, which is completely different. yeah It was kind of a roller coaster of emotions in a good way, but also that a unique bonding experience. And and as a whole, for that reason, also another amazing memory and something to hold on to, which is also good for the good for the mental. Yeah, man, for sure. That sounds amazing. And you know, you get that, you know, there's there's different ways that I think Being in nature improves mental health in general, right? And there's been tons of research on it, right? It reduces anxiety and stress and blood pressure in some spaces provides people a little bit more clarity of thought in other spaces. But for birding in particular, there's a bunch of different ways to get to that place of improved mental health. and And the one you just described is setting a goal, going on an adventure to look for something, maybe overcoming some challenges like it's butt cold outside.
00:09:27
Speaker
And then that moment of warmth when you have the payoff, when you see what you wanted to see and you're doing it in a way that's not you know disturbing the species and you're able to reflect on the journey you went on to go observe this bird that is on a different journey. And it's, I think it's really beautiful when you talk about doing that with someone you care about like your mom. And I always find myself, I kind of do a reflection when I get back in my vehicle or wherever I'm going, like when I'm outside of that, maybe challenging moment like cold or rain or wind or, you know, heat. And I say like, all right, well, how do I feel now that I went to go do that? And I didn't always do that. And it's, it's part of, um, something I picked up from some mindful birders in particular, Tamara Watts.
00:10:09
Speaker
out there in SoCal, you know, I went birding with her last summer and I had a bunch of brother homies out there to pop up birdwalk outside of San Diego. And before the bird outing, she said, I want you to take inventory of how you feel. And I had never done that before. Like I had never actually sat for five minutes in solitude and just said, OK, how do I feel? you know Do I feel anxious? Do I feel upset? Do I feel rushed? And then we had to do it again at the end of the outing. Right. And it's really demonstrative and what just going for a walk and looking at birds and talking with other humans, or even if you're doing it by yourself, like it it changes your dynamic. In your experience, particularly of going on an adventure, right like I feel like I could write a children's book about Dexter and his mom go see greater prairie chickens. It would be an amazing children's book. right
00:10:58
Speaker
i know There's other ways to do it as well, right? There's, there's just finding mental peace out back at your bird feeder or finding, um, improved mental health going for a walk in the park or around the block in your neighborhood. I want to make sure people know that like the opportunity for improved mental health doesn't come with only one type of experience with the birds. It can come from like 8 million different places, right? Hopefully we can talk about some different ones today. Yeah, and as cold as it was, it's like you find I find that anytime I bird, no matter the conditions, like I kind of feel like as a whole it calms and relaxes me. So i'm not I'm not as stressed. I'm not as anxious in regards to what's happening around me in the world. Generally, when I'm out in nature,
00:11:45
Speaker
I'm more focused on the sights and the sounds of the birds and the bugs and the wind and different things that are around me. So my mind is less likely to dwell on all the other things that I typically worry about because I am a bit of a worrier at sometimes. I don't find myself worrying when I'm out there in the woods or whatever. And when you look at it, it, the research proves it lowers cortisol levels and the hormones associated with stress. And I can't, I can't tell you after a week of grading papers and lectures and stuff, and you come home from a walk, you know, you're definitely feeling a little, little bit better about yourself. My wife always calls me on it cause I'll come home from like an in color birding outing and I'll be on fire, bro. I'll be like, Hey, listen, this person, this, we saw this. Yeah.
00:12:35
Speaker
Cause like she always asked me when I come home, like how was it? You know, you have a lot of people show up and and like she knows if it was really good for me because I'm just, I'm juiced like the rest of the day. And there's not of a lot of other things in life, you know, outside of experiences with my family that do that for me. And so, and and because it's, they're always this, um, this opportunity for wonder, right? When you go out and you don't know what you're going to get. Right. I think I might've talked in a previous, episode around that my experience, you know, where I'm pretty sure I saw a flying squirrel, right. And I wasn't expecting to do that. Right. And it sent my brain into like it changed the chemical makeup of my brain in that moment where I turned into like five year old excited Jason, you know, there's there's, you know, we talked about other ways of birding to do it. and And when we say mental health, it's not just the reduction of stress. Right. There are folks that bird to deal with grief. Right. I know a few folks that do that. And there's even some outings near us here in Philly that are are essentially grief. focused birding outings, which are really, really beautiful. You could do it just for the physical exercise that then results in the mental health, right? so yeah Like going for like a good hike. Even if you don't see all the birds you want to see, you don't realize you did a little work. yeah Eyes might be burning. Yeah, they're hitting cardio. Yeah, you get back to your car all sweaty and you're like, oh, what did what did I do? I thought I was just birding. I feel you there. And I know for me, somebody that's dealt with mental health, like depression and things and in my life, birds were, and you mentioned feeling like a five year old. And one of the things that my mom told me when she, she noticed that when I made burning a big part of my life is that she's like, I don't think I've seen you this happy since you were a kid.
00:14:21
Speaker
Yeah. So that correlation of like finding something to help boost my mood, help improve self-esteem. And I mean, I don't know about you. When you're out at those outings, you told you like when you come home, you're kind of like jacked up. yeah And when you're seeing and identifying birds, like there's a sort, that is joy. yeah And like the excitement you see in your members, when you put them on birds and you're improving other people's moods, what's improving, it's improving your mood and You're feeling better about yourself because you're helping other people feel better about themselves. It's like this, it's a beautiful, beautiful give and take. When you're there, being able to to like successfully identify a bird, man, it feels good. It definitely helps boost self-esteem and has this feeling of achievement that can benefit people.
00:15:09
Speaker
who struggled like myself and many people I know that have struggled with depression or or mental health issues. It feels good. It's something you can build on. I think don't we talk about that sense of adventure kind of keeps you coming back like you can build on that self-esteem and those wins and when you start to checking checking off some of those birds in your list, man, it can it can feel pretty good and that sense of accomplishment. And there's a lot of things to like about that in regards to yeah mood boosting and self-esteem, but simply just being out there and just worrying a little bit less about all the craziness that's around us all the time.
00:15:47
Speaker
Yeah, and and and you're almost, you know, you're almost kind of forced to because your brain can't always manage to hold on to that stress and anxiety when you're out in the middle of the forest. There's too many other things that are not that your brain and your senses are naturally tuned to that I think it's very hard for it to say, oh, you know, like, It's very hard for me to you know interpret the sun coming through these pine trees and the sound of you know ah Cardinal singing or the first returning pine warblers or prairie warblers or the sound of your feet on these pine needles or on this boardwalk. It's hard for your brain to interpret that and at the same time still be worrying about that presentation you have to give on Monday.
00:16:31
Speaker
Yeah, it's hard and so it naturally creates this disconnect from the other things in life that might give you a little stress and the more often you do it, the better it gets and I think people talk too little about. the mental health benefits of bird even the most hardcore listers like we've said before they're chasing something they're not chasing the bird necessarily or the physical benefit of trekking through the forest to see the bird they're chasing that high that thing that makes them feel good that feels accomplished regardless of how crazy listers get some of them are
00:17:05
Speaker
It's still a positive thing to have that positive mental health benefit from setting a goal and achieving it. That's why birding, I think, is taken off so much through the pandemic and otherwise, because people got out there and they started to get these little these little little twinges and tweaks of like, oh my goodness, why do I like this so much? you know like Why am I in this park again with these binoculars? Who am I?
Birding and Community Building during COVID-19
00:17:30
Speaker
What is how is happening to me? know yeah yeah And i you know i really encourage people to try and do it different ways i've heard other birders talk about different moments to where nature and birds have brought them back down to stay calm when they were maybe having um an episode or anxiety you know severe anxiety and it it it really is to make you wonder like prior to us humans um and the industrial revolution and.
00:17:57
Speaker
colonialism and the way we kind of, you know, spread and started to essentially rip apart the world. What was our experience with nature then from a mental health perspective, right? How do we accomplish it? Because we weren't, we weren't worried about presentations on Monday, but we were probably worried about something because we're humans, right? It could be how we feed our family, our next meal, the next hunt, whatever. And I can't imagine that nature and birds in general, even though we were so much more immersed in it, didn't have the same impact on us. It had to because the fact that we still have it now, it it evolved with us, you know, that connection to nature. Yeah, I would say it was probably people were probably more mindful. Yeah.
00:18:36
Speaker
And actually, and I find myself when I'm out there being more, more mindful, uh, focusing more on being present in the, in that moment. And sometimes that's what makes people anxious is they're not living in the moment. Is there worried about things that haven't happened before or that happened previously and how that's going to impact this and that and that and that. And that makes me more anxious. So when you're actually living in the moment in nature, being present, observing nature, connecting with that environment, you're naturally going to be less anxious. Sure. Yeah. Right. Because you are in the moment.
00:19:14
Speaker
And you're paying attention to the bird sounds, to the wind, to the smells, right? To the little critters that are jumping here and there. You're, you know, pulling out your phone, maybe using seek and learning about a new plant. Or you're using the Merlin app because you heard this really different call um than you have ever heard on a bird before, because it happens to be breeding season. And this bird is defending territory and it is vocalizing. There are so many things, but when you're you're mindful and you're being present in that moment, less anxious, more appreciative of that beauty that surrounds you and that, and it makes you feel good. Those natural dopamine, true form of self-care getting out there. Yeah, man. I think it's it's almost a good experiment too, for people to go and practice that that before and after activity, right? In whatever way they have burning available to them. I don't know what everybody's situation is, right? Birds on pretty much every continent. So they're around everyone. And I think being able to take inventory of how you're feeling relative to the presence of those species, and it can be for anything, right? I'll just be honest, right? It could be for some some people really love trees and plants, bugs, rocks, right? I got a homie that comes in our bird outings gym.
00:20:31
Speaker
And he gets really excited about birds, but I dare you to start talking to him about dinosaur bones or or or or geology because the homie just you see his whole face light up. Birds are dinosaurs. Exactly right. But like is this is the birds are one flavor of doing it in nature. I think birding is just different because it does you know requires you to to go to some different spaces right and kinda put yourself in context to these like southern to northern hemisphere you know migrants right and kinda saying oh man this homie was like three thousand miles south like a week ago and.
00:21:07
Speaker
Really that part of it I like to talk about at my bird outings is overcoming challenges. So when we find these tiny little birds, tiny little hummingbird, a little songbird, a little warbler and say, listen, I know some of us woke up this week or this morning and it was hard. Life was tough. That experience of overcoming that and still making your way through what you got to do. for yourself and for others, that is not an experience that is limited to humans. You're literally looking at other species that have to do that on a daily basis. And a lot of us have to do it on a daily basis for our mental health. Survival, man. That's right. And I was talking to someone yesterday and they were, you know, they were saying how like in the conservation world,
00:21:50
Speaker
there's a difference between creating an environment for a bird to survive and creating an environment for a bird to thrive. ryan and That really overlaps what I've seen in our black and brown communities is when we talk about thriving. right When we talk about what are we actually doing to put ourselves ahead to make sure our family, our children get ahead. Mentally, how are we pulling ourselves up out of some of this stuff you know that we all have to deal with every day when we turn on the news? That experience, although specific to humans, is not and an experience that is ah limited to humans. And so being able to at least try to make that connection with the species for that 30 seconds as you get to listen to that Black Pole Warbler sing. I'm not thinking, oh, well, this is a beautiful song. I saw a Black Pole Warbler. Let me just check it off my list.
00:22:36
Speaker
I'm thinking, let me sit down and listen to this bird. Let me sit down and listen to this bird who I have no idea what this bird overcame to get from Brazil to me. And it's got to the nerve journey right and it's got the nerve to sit up here on this branch right in front of me and belt out the most beautiful notes. How
Inclusivity in Birding Communities
00:22:58
Speaker
can I then take myself back to my life? and pretend like, you know, it's all over. I know it's not easy. I know mental health is a very, very complex thing. And this may not work for everybody, but the opportunity is there to take the context of it. Right. If you really want to get deep into it, it's like we are connected creatures. So it's something that people should always consider. You don't have to go out into the forest every time and like be like the most deep in tune your chakras with everything all the time. You can't just go birding just for the joy of the mental health. but it also has application in those other more challenging moments if you create context and relationship between you and the bird. Yeah, and I would say, hey, hug a tree, ground yourself, take your shoes off once in a while, right stand in the grass and let that sun hit your face for 10 minutes and breathe, breathe slow. yeah Man, sound crazy. I don't know how many times I'll go to where one of my, what I will call my happy place and I do exactly that.
00:23:57
Speaker
the ground, I breathe, I meditate, I just say nothing, do nothing until I'm like, all right, I'm ready again. And I'm like, usually as I hear one and i hear a bird that's like a different one. And I'm like, okay, I hear you. Let's go. yeah You know, it's it's wild, man. It's so wild. Because what you just described like that, when you when you pull yourself, when you ground yourself, and that's what actually opens up your ears in some ways to hear this because you're not you're just only thing your brain is focusing on is interpreting the patterns that it's experiencing, whether it's to sight, sound, touch, feel, smell, one of my
00:24:39
Speaker
One of my favorite things to do is to go on a long hike. And I haven't done this in so long. Go on a long hike and make sure that I don't hear my own voice for at least three hours. Like I don't speak. You know can't do when you're with the bird club. I used to do it all the time, though, when I was younger. And sometimes I used to go on a hike with my dogs, too. And sometimes I wouldn't take my dogs because I'd be talking to them the whole time, like, hey, buddy, stay over here. Onyx, you know, don't jump in that weird water. But just walking. and not saying anything. Because we talk so much during the day and or we're listening to other people talk. And so to have three hours of just your brain is the only voice you got, you know, your brain and the world outside of you like so. um That's one of my favorite things to do. And I encourage people to explore what works for them, you know, because life is too short to not give yourself every tool and every opportunity to improve your mental health and burning certainly is one of those.
00:25:31
Speaker
Yeah, I love it. I love it. I love it. I would say too, there's something about the birding community. When you think about like connecting, like I think about, I met you through birding. I met like all these amazing people through birding. Yeah. And I always find myself thinking about the community connection and how fostering social connections and building like these support networks and yeah within the the burden community, how that's been beneficial as well, speak on mental health of like just having support system, having people, having your people, having, having your flock, having your, you know, the people and, you know, maybe it's a telegram chat that you really develop some great relationships with and they put you on lifers and new birds that you never thought you would see before. Or yeah I don't know about you, but I always notice too at certain events, we'll see pockets of like this person chatting with this person and now they're going birding together. And I love that yeah seeing those those community connections and relationships matter and seeing that and just appreciating some of the people and amazing people I've been able to meet in the community has definitely worked wonders for my mental health. Yeah. And isn't it wild that something like birds that I'm guessing don't contextualize us the same way we contextualize them? Maybe they do. Maybe they keep human lists and they go humaning. ah so Oh, you know, they'd be like, Hey, let's go bird. That's that bearded bird. And so like, so like, if I don't like, I'll be honest, like if I don't have heard about him, I don't know why I'm whispering.
00:27:14
Speaker
Oh, you're ridiculous. If I don't if I don't see um Dexter post something on Instagram or share a story or something for like a week or a couple of weeks, I'm going to go check on him, right? I'm going to see how he's doing. And it's the same thing is true for the homies here with me and Philly, right? Especially those on our board, those community members. So sometimes I'll see, you know, people that haven't been to a birdwalk in a while and they'll just, you know, just like something I post to the bird club posts. I just shoot a message like, hey, homies. we better i seen You know, come on out, right? Because sometimes people need that affirmation that like, hey, we, we missed you, right? This was not a, you know, this is not a something that you need to feel like you, you know, you got to be out there every weekend, whether it's in order to come, like life circumstances may change, but when you get a chance, you need a ride, you need a carpool, right? You know, what you need, you know, like, um, but Because that, and that to me is actually one of the things that will sustain birding and conservation is the connection people make around it, right? Rather than just educational or academic pursuit of it, it will be, is there a care, is there a shared urgency and desire for the health and well-being of these species in our environment? And are we doing that through caring for one another in that process as well?
00:28:29
Speaker
Love it. Yeah. Love each other. Love yourself connecting. It's a great place to do it, you know, out there in nature. Yeah. There's a lot of, there's a lot of healing power. I think a lot of people, I think a lot of people started to, I don't know what your thoughts are, but after like COVID and like a lot of the lockdowns and stuff, you saw burning outdoor activities, like those, that stuff skyrocketed. people were just like, it was kind of like created this ah this cause and effect, like, okay, you're stuck inside for all, like, basically it was like, felt like it was two years, basically. There were so many people who were stuck, not being able to do just normal things. You could go outside and take a walk and you could go to your local park and you could, and for me, talk about winter blues. That was winter blues times, like,
00:29:21
Speaker
10, the anxiety, the just being cooped up. I'm a people person too. Like I got like not being able to be around people, not being able to be around your loved ones and your friends and yeah were you're like in mask and then this person not in a mask, this person coughing all over the place. anxious and just like it did a number on so many people. And I found that the club, especially during that time and and leading out of that time, as people started to try to get back to their normal lives and people started to try to be just feeling like themselves again, the messages we got from club members about, man, I don't know what I would have did without this club. these outings these people the people the community and everybody kind of like you said checking on one another and just making sure everybody was good or creating more opportunities outside of our scheduled events to get outside to stay sane to literally just be able to do something that gave them some hope during such a weird and just Unsettling time, the power of community and nature together, that unison of just spending time outdoors, engaging with wildlife and promote an overall mental, emotional wellness with people around you that feel the same way. Man, that feels good. That's the kind of stuff that moves the needle for real. And we don't got to take no medications or anything like that. This is something that you can do to supplement maybe some of that stuff or, um, If you're not, if you don't have anything, this could be something that you could try, you know. Yeah, this this program's out there now where they're prescribing doctors, literally prescribing access to nature. And another there's one here in Philly where they're prescribing people to go take a walk around the Aubrey Arboretum, which is an historic Germantown neighborhood in Philadelphia. I meet a lot of people that say birding really, in some cases, save them during covid. And so that that seems to be a common theme, whether it's the community connections or just the connections with nature.
00:31:22
Speaker
I find a lot of folks
Social Media: Sharing the Joy of Birding
00:31:23
Speaker
to speak to me around um folks that might be differently abled, folks can't get out all the time. And I've gotten a number of messages of encouragement and different ideas, things to post and do from folks that only birds from home or they can't do those messages bro I've gotten I've gotten some where I'm bedridden yeah like thank you for this and I'm always like thanks for joining me you know it kind of became like a thing based off of so it's so funny so a lot of my videos I'll say thanks for joining me at the end a lot of that came that came from me talking with people where they were like message me and I was like you know I really appreciate it thanks for joining me and then I can't became a thing
00:32:06
Speaker
where I was like, this is what I'm saying to people. So at the end, I just started saying thanks for joining me because it's like, that's what we want, that community. yeah and And to try to make burning more accessible, you know, whether it's location or like you said, people can't get out. Just teaching people and and taking people on adventures is fun, you know? yeah yeah And it's good for my mental health. Cause if I don't get to go out and do one, you know, if I'm not on an adventure or two, I start to feel it, you know, like throughout the week, I'm like, I gotta go find some, you know, I gotta go find some. I'm starting to feel a little funkish, you know, like I gotta, I gotta to get out this bed, man. And that's what you like that, that depression, ah and that depression, sometimes it'd be like,
00:32:55
Speaker
No stay in the bed. You don't need to go outside. And then I was like, no, you should go outside. And, and it's usually, it's literally the right decision every time. Yeah. It's a journey. No one bird outing is going to solve all life's problems, but it's the consistent way to build opportunity for joy and wonder for a change in your brain chemistry as best possible. And it's one of many tools, like you said. One thing you mentioned that I thought is really interesting. We talk about the activity of birding and going to observe birds as a direct connection. And we talked about the community that you build when you do that. Both of those are really great opportunities to improve one's mental health. Social media. Let's talk about that a little bit because it can be obviously a ridiculous place and not in a good way.
00:33:47
Speaker
But I've found that curating your social media follows and likes around people that bring you bird joy actually has been really beneficial for me. I don't, I'm not gonna, and this is me personally. Um, I don't fill up my, let's say Instagram following a lot of people that only post pictures of birds. Those are cool, but I'm more inclined to follow the people that post the pictures of the birds because I enjoy the way the people make me feel more than I'm concerned about greatness of a bird photo because I know the person. So what happens is I see, you know, like, for example, I saw your pictures of the greater prairie chickens and I think I wrote just bro.
00:34:30
Speaker
right like ah Because in my chest, like, you know, I'm, this is the morning I'm having some coffee. I'm having a nice calm Sunday morning. And I had totally forgotten that you told me the other day that you're going to see the greater prayer chicken. and i and I saw the picture and in my chest I felt like I got a little taste of what you must have felt in those moments watching that and it made me feel so good not just for you but for me because now my brain was imagining what that moment could be like for me one day and I just wanted to hear what it was like for you and I could hear you
00:35:12
Speaker
laughing and I could hear you say, let's go. You know, I could hear all of this stuff. Right. So I'm more inclined to follow you because of the way you bring joy through your pursuit of the birds. Same thing with this homies out there that make amazing memes and reels and things that make people laugh comics. Right. Like birding has bled into that in a way where you can actually procure and build a really positive community so that if you aren't able to get out of the house, Maybe you can, and maybe it's not super healthy, but maybe you can just scroll your bird Instagram for half an hour, you know, and really, really enjoy yourself. Yes. Yes. I'm the same way. If you ain't talking about birds, you ain't giving content related to birds or outdoors or things related to uplifting a community or whatever it may be. It ain't there. I try, I'm trying to do as less doom scrolling as possible. I want to give me some bird joy. Give me some uplifting. Give me some wins. I want to see people. I'm at this point in my life where I love watching people win yeah because winners watch winners win, you know, and celebrate. You celebrate other people's victories. If you get to that point in life, you have to take off. I just tell people, like, if you look at people and they're winning and you're excited, you see people happy and you're happy for them, your life is going to change. Like you're going to be, you're you're at a different level because a lot of people are not there. And most people who are are very successful. Yeah, they are. And it's you know, and it's it's I think it's counterintuitive today to what a lot of people experience on social media and otherwise, where everything is a competition for likes and follows and all that other stuff. Birding is a great way to let that go. we Talked about this, I think, in an earlier episode around not creating anxiety and stress overseeing every bird.
00:36:55
Speaker
Every species taking it as it comes finding joy in the journey. I think you mentioned same thing is true with procuring your bird joy and your mental health on socials and otherwise find things that make you happy and That is where you will find community That is where you will find community because we don't we just don't live in the world anymore. We're like your community is only the people around you in your city like your your community can be worldwide through social media if you use it the right way or through through technology and the same rules apply don't let it give you anxiety find your own pace find the things that make you happy and when we went to. ah
00:37:35
Speaker
I always, I always think about this when someone says bird joy is probably the first memory that comes to my head. We were in Georgia looking for stuff and the Rosé spoonbill, Rosie. And that now never get that ever in my life. And like, I remember because we were in the back of that truck and I was like, yo, let me hop out and put the scope up. But there was like gators on either side of that. Well, it was like real good, like real gators. And I was like, let me set this up. And I remember I set the scope up and I don't know if I had the phone run or not, but I remember you came and looked at it and I thought you were going to explode, man. I thought you were just like, you got some footage of that bird. And I was like this. I literally just want to be the Gemini cricket for Dexter. I just want to sit on his shoulder and watch him go watch birds because your joy
00:38:24
Speaker
bleeds into everybody around you, right? Which I think you do on social media as well. And so that's something people should also consider as they're putting themselves out there into the world. Is your birding bringing something to the world? Right. Not everybody has to do it. or I'm just saying if it's something you would like to do, find ways to create community with your photography, with your videos, with your reels, your experiences, right? Because it really makes a difference in people's lives. Like I
Encouragement to Engage in Birding for Well-being
00:38:50
Speaker
will never forget that moment. Cause up until that moment, I knew you on social media. I knew how excited you get, but I didn't see it in person. And then when I saw it in person, I was like, Oh my God. What made it so cool though is like for me was I got to experience it with you and I remember like putting y'all in the video and everything. And we were like, talk, we were debating, you know, Rosé or Rosie, you know, yeah it was so fun. So like, I think the the community aspect that people don't realize, like the social interactions, dude, talk about combating feelings of isolation or loneliness or yes whatever, you know, and it could be like you said, it might not be for you, it could be for somebody else.
00:39:36
Speaker
That's right. Those social interactions that you're creating in ah in those communities can be powerful. So I really encourage it because it does have a positive impact on mental health, whether yours or people around you. And birding can be that conduit because it's fun. It's engaging. It's a good way to connect with other people and then it gets you outside. And once you get outside, you connect with nature, bro. And then like that greater appreciation for the natural world and its beauty really kind of that that will inspire you in its own way and motivate you, hopefully, right? If you're feeling down and out to get out of bed and get outside more often. So when we talk about things that could spark some change in your life, it could definitely be nature. birds Birds could be a part of that. Yes, sir. Man.
00:40:22
Speaker
what ah what ah what ah What a great way to put that, man. I think we covered all the bases, you know, in terms of birding as an individual with a group, commiting creating community, finding that safe space, just all the different ways that you could approach burning to keep your mental on the up and up, because we all need that every day. And why not do it together with the birds? Love it. Yes. Do it with the birds. Protect your mental as beast mode would say. Yeah, I got to, I listened to another podcast and the dude always asks, you know, how are your mentals and your dentals? like I love that. I love that. How's your mental health and how's your physical health? So yeah, man, i listen, this was such a good episode. I honestly think we may be able to do a few more of these, you know, in in some different contexts, right? Yeah. sharing some different stories as we come across them. I am wishing you, sir, a very beautiful spring ahead in terms of your mental health and burning. Yes. You too, brother. Yeah, man. Maybe lifers. Hopefully it'll sit still long enough for you to capture them, you know?
00:41:30
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, we'll see, man. I got to i got travel to go see my brother in St. Croix this summer. So we'll see how that goes, maybe get a few more lifers down there. But I'm really just excited to like be outside with the family. yeah and And honestly, there's weirdly enough, this conversation about birds and mental health has made my mental health better today. Talking about it is part of the solution. i don't think you know And we talk about our communities, Black and brown folks, the BIPOC community as a whole. I don't know if there's enough mental health conversations happening. And i I'm glad that we're having one. And it's in, uh, in this, in the birding lane. The stuff that we talked about today is for anybody. If you enjoyed outdoors and just getting outside as a whole, and it don't even gotta enjoy bird. You don't have to involve birds, but eventually once you're present, birds are going to enter the conversation. I just say get outside and eventually once you're paying attention, you're going to see the birds and you'll see the benefits.
00:42:27
Speaker
That's right. All right, brother. All right. Well, I want to thank everybody for joining us today on the bird joy podcast. We hope you enjoyed exploring the world of burning with us. And also the conversation about burning and mental health. It is a sensitive topic. Obviously we don't have all the answers there. We'd love to hear how you use burning to protect your mental. Let us know, man, message us back. I also like to hear what y'all are seeing out there right now. Yeah, that'd be awesome. That'd be awesome. And then just a reminder to keep your mentors and your dental straight conversation that we're having here. I expect we may have again, and maybe we can have on a couple of guests here and there that have a little bit more expertise, you know, specifically around burning or mental health. Stay tuned. Thanks for rocking with us. If you want to know what's going on in Philly with the birding scene, check out In Color Birding Club at InColorBirding.org. We're also on Instagram and Facebook. Yep. Check out BIPOC Birding Club. We are at BIPOCBirdingClub.org. And please share, subscribe, and shout out our podcast to all your fellow bird nerds. Help us spread a little bird joy. Today was truly about bird joy. Thank you brother. Is there? Peace. Peace.
00:43:50
Speaker
are are
00:44:02
Speaker
e using you