Something got me thinking recently – I was out in the Sinai desert on a chilly night, wearing two down jackets and still cold. My Bedouin guides were huddled around the crackling fire, dressed in thin cotton dresses and cheap Chinese jackets. They didn’t appear to be cold despite their lack of quality clothing. This got me thinking about human resilience, or rather, lack of. Our Western lives have become ridiculously complicated and we are increasingly detached from our fundamental senses of sight, smell, touch and feel. Technology and creature comforts have “improved” our lives – turning us into soft cupcakes – and also led to a profound shift in our relationship with the physical world. Our diminished human resilience is a consequence of comfort and disconnection. We need to reclaim a balanced, sensory rich existence. We need to harden up. Permit me to have a rant.

FEEL Improved warm clothing, insulated homes, gadgets like flashlights, and reliance on digital apps shield us from the elements and has led to a weakened connection with nature and our very beings. We have become worryingly reliant on fast-paced technology to tell us what to do and how to feel – watches telling us when to move, how many steps we took etc – when all you need to know is how tired you feel after a good walk – by observing your own body. If we get cold, we layer up or turn the heating up, when a little bit of suffering to let our bodies do their natural thing of “coping” would help our cold resistance.

VISION Our bodies are no longer dictated by the circadian rhythm, the 24-hour internal clock in our brain that regulates cycles of alertness and sleepiness by responding to light changes in our environment. Instead of being solar-powered like other animals, we have lights to keep us up. These lights in turn affect our night vision, which we seldom have to rely on as we have headlamps and torches. And to get off track slightly, not only do all the lights affect us, they also affect migrating birds that navigate at night and insects that pollinate at night, like moths. We are losing our night sky to light pollution – some places are now trying to save it with International Dark Sky Reserves.

SMELL Our sense of smell has been impacted by air purifiers, fragrances and air conditioning and disconnected from the natural scents that once enveloped our lives. We smother our homes, gardens and bodies with artificial smells and chemicals and don’t bat an eyelid about it. We breathe these chemicals in, and then wonder why there is so much cancer in society. We no longer naturally smell the change of seasons, weather, and nature.

CONNECT TO NATURE Once when I was co-leading a hike in the Sinai desert, a Millenial berated me for not sending a weather forecast to the group before the trip (it is the desert – you can mostly count on sun!) I had to remind the cheeky minx that I was from a generation that watched the sky, clouds, wind etc and looked out the window to see what the weather is doing. Too much reliance on apps disconnects us from the elements. We need to be observing nature, by feeling, smelling, listening and seeing the changes and the signs.

MEMORY Even our memories are at risk as we no longer need to memorize anything – technology does it for us. Before mobile phones came into our lives, we committed numerous phone numbers to memory. Spending countless hours glued to screens diverts our attention away from the world around us, usually at the expense of appreciating the visual beauty of nature or engaging in face-to-face interactions. The use of phones means we are never present, always distracted. We are losing the space to daydream.

The Japanese practice forest bathing, as an eco-antidote to tech-boom burnout and to inspire people to reconnect with the forest. When in the Sahara desert on my Venus Adventures trips I always send my clients out to sit on a dune alone to feel the power, beauty and silence without distraction. It’s important to be in the now, to take time out to just be, and to strengthen your senses.

And lastly….trust your gut – it is our 6th sense, and usually it really is trying to tell us something.

The more we rely on technology, creature comforts and chemicals, the less we will be connected to the natural world from which we come. Reconnecting with our senses and getting back to the basics is essential for our well-being and appreciation of the world around us. Practice mindfulness and being in the moment. Life doesn’t have to be a sufferfest, but don’t forget to stop and smell the roses, feel the wind, listen to the natural noises around you, be in the present moment and use all of your senses.