Movember's Zac Seidler Finds Awe In Nature
A men's health expert tells us why we need to normalise slowing down
As far as months go, November is a pretty massive one for Dr Zac Seidler. The psychologist, research fellow and men's mental health expert is the Director of Mental Health Training at Movember, which you may also know as the reason so many of your mates are rocking some extra hair on their upper lips lately. Movember has gone from a small idea to a global movement in seemingly no time at all, and in Australia, Zac's in the driver's seat. It's a round the clock schedule that means he has to focus doubly hard on taking time out to relax and reset, something he always advocates doing in nature if possible. After returning from his second Unyoked session, we caught up with Zac to ask him about finding awe in open spaces, putting your body through its' paces and taking time to sit with yourself.
It seems like you hold down five jobs at the same time, from your psychology practice to your significant research projects and day-to-day Movember role. How difficult is it to find space for yourself during all of this, and how do you typically try to switch off? Is this something you have had to practice or does it come naturally?
Time to myself is often hard to find and so I’ve had to build in rituals that make sure I slow down and check in with myself, make sure I’ve got enough fuel in the tank and also just take a moment to ensure I’m looking after myself too. It’s the perennial problem for those in the helping professions, to give everything and be left empty when you need it most, so I try my hardest to ensure that front of mind is the understanding that I’m no use to my clients or friends and family if I’m not doing ok myself. Having now spent some time at unyoked, I realise the difference though between taking time out in my day to look after myself by meditating or swimming or reading, and actually changing the space I’m in by getting out of town. The perspective shift even just on the drive down can be monumental.
You've now been unyoked twice in less than a year. How did your second session differ? Or did you approach it differently?
My first session I went solo, which was exactly what I needed, just some quiet space to decompress. Having done that, I knew what type of effect being in the wilderness could have, so it was great to bring that mentality and share it with my partner this time around. It’s interesting how physically disconnecting myself from my phone and work can lead to such profound opportunity for connection with yourself and your loved ones.
The research we've started on indicates that being exposed to green spaces lowers your cortisol levels, a key contributing factor to stress. Did you find this happened to you out at Coralie?
There’s no doubt that traipsing around the property in the rain, watching nature happen around me, has a really reliable calming effect. It enables the space to pause, to watch, to listen and switch into another gear where your need for control just washes away.
When we went for a walk at Coralie I could feel myself settling into a totally new level of consciousness. That is awe; the drive to just look a little closer at the natural world and let it inspire you.
You've done a lot of personal work on using nature to shock yourself out of the ordinary, including cold water therapy and trekking in Nepal. Talk to us about that.
I’ve always believed that putting yourself in uncomfortable or difficult situations is where you really learn about yourself, what you’re made of, capable of and how you can stay balanced even in the face of hardship. I have had cold showers for a few years now and the practice just grounds me back in my body, literally reminds me I’m alive as my heart starts pounding, and lets me know that in choosing a little bit of purposeful discomfort that when the world forces it upon me, I’ll get through it just fine.
Nepal was a bit of an extreme example of this, trekking in -20 degrees, suffering some pretty bad altitude sickness too, but even in the worst moments, I knew in the back of my head that I’d look back and go, “Hell yeah, I did that, I reckon I can get through anything.” Plus I got to push through with my best mate alongside me which makes it even more special, giving each other a hand when we’re struggling and knowing he’s there for you when you need him.
We need to normalise that slowing down, not avoid or deny that desire to look inside, check in and reconnect with where we’re at and where we’re going.
We're big on the concepts of perspective and awe here, but trying to explain this can sometimes be a bit abstract. Having likely experienced this in some of the far-flung places you've traveled, but also out in nature, what does these words mean to you?
Awe has always inspired a slowing down for me. I run at 100 miles a minute in my day to day, so I can feel awe wash over me when I start to really connect in with whats happening around me. When we went for a walk at Coralie I could feel myself settling into a totally new level of consciousness in a way, where I could suddenly really attend to the wind in the trees, I would be able to see tiny insects in the grass, and it lured me in. That is awe, the drive to just look a little closer at the natural world and let it inspire you.
Conversation is a big part of your push to open up the potential for better mens' mental health. Do you think there's also something to be said for allocating time to commune with yourself, perhaps to realise what it is you want to start talking about?
So many guys struggle with sitting with themselves. When I told some of my mates earlier in the year that I was going solo to unyoked they all said “but what are you going to do all day?” We need to normalise that slowing down, not avoid or deny that desire to look inside, check in and reconnect with where we’re at and where we’re going, otherwise we’re just on auto-pilot and that’s when we end up acting in ways that don’t align with our values and end up leaving us feeling empty and disconnected.
Movember is on at the moment, so you're in the process of encouraging thousands of men across the country to have real conversations about their feelings. What's been one of your biggest wins this 'Mo season?
The hairy season is my favourite time of year, but its not the big talks or events that get me most, its those little conversations I have on the street with someone after they catch a glimpse of my Borat Mo and Movember tshirt that really inspire me. It’s a man’s greatest conversation starter and being able to connect with a stranger and hear their story and why they’re joining the movement to ensure their mates and loved ones live happier, healthier, longer lives is enough for me.
It seems like Australia has really transformed in terms of their Movember involvement. Why do you think we're getting behind it in increasing numbers?
I think we’re only getting bigger, because the problems guys are facing are only looming more ominously in all of our lives, and most people are saying enough is enough. We’re in a period now where the male suicide rate, losing 7 men a day on average, is not just a stat, its personal for so many around the country. The time for pure awareness raising has passed, its time for action and that’s what Movember is all about, investing in over a thousand mental health and suicide prevention programs for boys and men around the world to learn how to better detect, understand and respond to their mental health difficulties before crisis hits.
Moustaches and the wilderness go pretty well together, we think. Anyone famous explorers from history we should know about that rocked an amazing lip slug?
Well one of our Movember ambassadors is Bear Grylls, nothing more masculine than drinking your own urine hey?
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Inspired to spend some time alone in nature? Click here. We got you.