I just got finished reading "The Stranger in the Woods" subtitle The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michale Finkel. Really interesting book about a man who lived in the woods in Maine for 27 years without speaking to anyone. Spoiler alert, it gets really cold in Maine and he never lit a fire the whole time he was there. Crazy.
Thought I would pass on a few things that I found interesting and/or offer could some insight into your health that I picked up from the book.
The importance of silence
The book covered several benefits of finding moments of silence in your life whenever possible. It referenced a study about a group of people who took a 15 minute walk in the woods every day without speaking. They ended up with lower blood pressure, less of the stress hormone cortisol, and had more active brain function. Pretty good return on investment.
The quickest way to get fat
When the hermit knew the winter was coming he would have to get fat so he could survive the harsh winter. He found that sugar and alcohol was the quickest way to get fat. Makes sense to me, I do it every December.
He never got sick in 27 years
He never got the flu, a cold, or anything of that sort despite being out in the harshest conditions year round. It is being in contact with other people that gets us sick. Not getting rained on or exercising in the cold. It's these dang biological terrorists called humans spreading germs. When he was found he was very fit with his only health problem being rotting teeth from not seeing a dentist for so long.
Just keep moving
He got injured a few times from serious falls. He had to get up at 2am during the coldest part of winter to avoid being frozen to death. His solution to both of those was just to keep moving.
Boredom is in the eye of the beholder
Sometimes he would just sit there for hours and not do anything but observe nature. That seems super hard to me most days, but it is something I enjoy doing and need to do more of. I think my body would really appreciate the break.
“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
Almost freezing to death, nearly starving to death, swarmed by bugs, no human contact, manual labor, and just an overall rough life. Who does this to themselves on purpose when civilization a short walk away? It was how he was wired, so he would put up with anything and do whatever was necessary to maintain his lifestyle. A powerful why can carry you through some extremely rough patches in your life.
If you are looking for a new book to read, I would recommend checking it out. Never knew hermits were so wise.