New Year's goal: Care to step outside? You won't regret it. | Opinion

As we begin a new year, millions of Americans will make resolutions they won't keep. We'll vow to lose weight, save money or finally learn new languages. According to research, by February, most of these promises will be forgotten.

What if 2026 could be different? What if we chose a resolution so simple, so achievable and so transformative that it could reshape not just our lives, but also our communities and even our country?

Here's my challenge: Make 2026 the year you step outside for at least 10 to 20 minutes every day.

A crisis hiding in plain sight

If you've picked up your phone today ‒ and let's face it, you probably have multiple times ‒ you've participated in the defining challenge of our time. It is reported that Americans now spend approximately seven hours daily looking at screens, with teenagers often exceeding this amount.

Meanwhile, our time outdoors has plummeted.

We've created a society where a notification ping commands more immediate attention than a sunrise, where virtual connections substitute for the irreplaceable experience of walking side by side with friends or neighbors on tree-lined streets.

The consequences ripple through every aspect of American life. Rates of anxiety, depression and loneliness continue to climb, particularly among young people. Social cohesion ‒ those invisible bonds that hold communities together ‒ continues to fray as we retreat into our digital cocoons.

We are more connected, yet more isolated ‒ and in some cases, more divided ‒ than ever before.

The importance of stepping outside

Here's what I've learned after decades of investing in transformational change: Sometimes the most powerful solutions are often hiding in plain sight.

A Stanford University meta-analysis of 449 studies confirms what our instincts tell us: Urban nature exposure significantly improves mental health outcomes, including mood, stress and anxiety.

Just 20 minutes in a park ‒ without exercising ‒ makes people feel better. Repeated nature exposure of as little as 10 minutes yields measurable benefits.

Walking, biking or playing in nature amplifies these effects even more.

These aren't marginal improvements. They're prescription-strength results from the most accessible medicine on earth.

The real magic happens when we step outside together. Research shows that proximity to nature correlates with higher neighborhood social cohesion. Walking with others reduces isolation. Communities with accessible outdoor spaces report higher levels of trust and civic participation.

The antidote to our isolation epidemic might be as close as our front door.

Finding common ground (literally)

Having spent a decade as chairman of the board of the National Geographic Society, I have witnessed how outdoor experiences reshape perspective and deepen connections. Our Explorers consistently report that time in nature humbles them, broadens their worldviews and reinforces their interest in creating solutions.

We don't need to trek to remote wilderness areas, though. The most important "ah-hah" moments might be waiting in your neighborhood park.

When you walk on a sidewalk or trail, or sit on a park bench, you're not surrounded by people who vote like you or scroll through the same feeds. You're surrounded by neighbors.

In fresh air, conversations flow naturally. Differences soften. Shared experiences take precedence over ideological divides.

Small changes can pay big dividends

Throughout my career ‒ from the early days of helping to build the internet, building the Case Foundation to venturing out into the world alongside Explorers ‒ I've seen that real change requires audacious goals.

What if 10 million Americans traded just 10 or 20 minutes of daily screen time for outdoor time? What if families made Saturday mornings "screen-free walks"? What if employers embraced "Daily Outside" breaks? What if doctors prescribed neighborhood strolls as often as pills?

This isn't just about individual health, although you'll sleep better and stress less. It's about recognizing that human experience began outdoors, in communities, and that our health depends on experiences no app can replicate.

Unlike complicated diet plans or expensive equipment, this resolution costs nothing. You don't need to drive anywhere. The barrier to entry is just lacing up or slipping on a comfortable pair of shoes and stepping outside.

In most communities, you just need to open your door.

Start small, then build social connections

Start small. Tomorrow morning, before reaching for your phone, reach for your shoes. Take a walk. Sit outside with coffee. The activity doesn't matter; presence does.

Then make it social. Invite a neighbor. Start a walking group. Find others, of all ages, who are looking for an excuse to get outside and join them.

While you are at it, look at trees, listen to the birds and enjoy the warmth of the sun.

We stand at an inflection point. We can enter 2026 anxious, isolated, scrolling through lives instead of living them. Or we can choose differently.

Every time we step outside, we exercise one of our most profound powers: the ability to reconnect with our natural world and with others. These 20 minutes aren't just exercise. They're a revolutionary reimagining of how we live.

The screen will always be there when you return, but the opportunity to rebuild your well-being requires action now. It’s amazing out there. I hope you’ll join me.

Jean Case is the CEO of the Case Foundation and is the former chairman of the board of trusteesof the National Geographic Society.