The ancient Egyptians thought if you exposed your balding head to the sun, it would help hair regrow. How Soaking in Sunlight for Health Fell Out of FavorĪs the most democratic resource on the planet, an inextinguishable source of warmth and light, and the celestial power which gives life to everything on earth, humans have quite naturally always been drawn to the sun, and have attributed health and healing properties to its rays for millennia. While you need not bend a literal knee to the life-giving star at the center of our solar system, you ought to consider making sunbathing a part of your daily ablutions, turning the catching of rays into a regular ritual, putting the sun back in Sunday. Peoples in every civilization around the world, from Mexico and India to Egypt and Germany, once worshipped the sun as part of their religion. A restoration of our relationship with the great fiery ball in the sky is in order.
In all the warnings about the sun, the fact that its rays boost both mental and physical health in some very significant ways - and our ancient instinct as to the truth of this - has gotten lost.
While sun exposure does indeed carry some dangers, we have arguably taken its risk too far.
We’ve been taught that sun exposure is bad for you - that it causes skin cancer and should be avoided as much as possible. Sure, lying out in the sun feels good in the moment, but so does smoking a cigarette. And yet for a lot of folks, it’s an experience they can’t unequivocally enjoy, that’s tinged with some guilt. You’ve probably had this experience whilst soaking up some rays too. It feels like my body is a battery that the sun is literally recharging. As the rays absorb into my skin, stress melts away and calming, almost-euphoric vibes percolate through my brain. Have you had a depressing and demoralizing few weeks, or years? One of the best ways I’ve found to shake off the blues is to stand on the side of the shallow end of my pool, my arms folded on the deck, my back facing the sun. This article was originally published in July 2020. “Irvin Yalom writes like an angel about the devils that besiege us.With our archives now 3,500+ articles deep, we’ve decided to republish a classic piece each Sunday to help our newer readers discover some of the best, evergreen gems from the past. “Yalom is the Scheherazade of the couch, his work a marvelous exercise in storytelling.” Rollo May Compassionate connection, combined with the wisdom of the great thinkers who have wrestled with mortality, enables us to overcome the terror of death and lead happier, more meaningful lives. Yalom encourages us to strive for more direct engagement with others. Yalom writes, we are inspired to rearrange our priorities, communicate more deeply with those we love, appreciate more keenly the beauty of life, and increase our willingness to take the risks necessary for personal fulfillment.įilled with touching personal stories of people who are grappling with the terror of death-including the author-Staring at the Sun offers specific methods to cope with terror and is ultimately life affirming. Such recognition is often catalyzed by an "awakening experience"-a dream, or loss (the death of a loved one, divorce, loss of a job or home), illness, trauma, or aging. Yalom helps us recognize that the fear of death is at the heart of much of our anxiety. In this opus, capping a lifetime of work and personal experience, Dr. Written in Irv Yalom's inimitable story-telling style, Staring at the Sun is a profoundly encouraging approach to the universal issue of mortality.
From the author of the best-selling Love's Executioner, The Gift of Therapy, and When Nietzsche Wept comes a book that confronts the most demanding challenge we all face: overcoming the terror of death.