Go Camping

I know, I know. This is not the time of year to bring this up, but camping really has a way of ending my anxiety from the moment I step foot in a tent or cabin. There’s several reasons you should give this a go:

1. It’s all about independence and self-reliance. You can’t be anxious, there’s wood needed for the fire.
2. You’re in control. No one is telling what to do and there are no rules.
3. It’s fun.
4. There’s no outside world. For all you know the outside world ended hours ago. So what? Gotta get that fire going for the marshmallows.
5. If you bring kids, it’s just about the best thing you could do for them. Cut off (just like you) from screens, they’re forced to run around, be in nature and be bored. There’s nothing better for your creativity than to be bored. Kids are built for it.
6. It’s totally OK to do nothing. Your life could use a pause button. But even on vacation, we feel the need to run errand after errand to keep family and/or friends happy. That’s not needed with camping. You’re expected to hang out on a hammock for a few hours, getting up only for food, drinks, or something fun. Even at resorts, someone is always trying to interrupt this real fun, for their idea of fun. No thanks.
7. The night sky. Finally seeing it without city lights puts you in your place. Perspective is key. You’re nothing in the grand scheme, and you need to be reminded every once in a while.
8. It’s really nice to hold long conversations with family and friends. It rarely happens unless there’s literally nothing else to do.

There’s so many other reasons, but I think it comes down to the mindset you have to be in while camping. There’s just no room for what causes anxiety out there. It’s a shame we rarely take the lessons above and apply them to our regular lives.

This is part of a 30-day challenge to blog about anxiety. See all the posts.