Most of us live in climate controlled homes, drive everywhere, sit a lot, and reach for food and screens whenever we feel uncomfortable. Life feels easier, yet stress, pain, and fatigue seem to be going up, not down. That tension sits at the heart of Michael Easter’s book “The Comfort Crisis.” He argues that our bodies and brains evolved for a life with effort, hunger, cold, heat, long walks, and real challenge. Now those stresses are rare. The result is stiffness, low mood,

Your brain and your spine share one vital job: to keep you balanced and responsive. When daily life overloads your nervous system with constant noise, screens, and tension, both mental focus and spinal function suffer. Research from the University of Michigan, led by psychologists Marc Berman, John Jonides, and Stephen Kaplan, found a simple way to reset that system—spending time in nature. The Research Participants took two walks: one through a leafy arboretum and one throu