Børge's Tour Tips - Nature as medicine
Hi Børge!
I have an illness – manic depression- that at times makes me feel the need to seek some form of silence and tranquility combined with a low stress level.
What I have found after many years testing of “antidotes” is that nature will in fact give me the best results and also better sleep, physical exercise and some form of mental stimulation.
Greetings from Frode, Vestfold.
I fully agree and this subject is worth following up.
I often use nature as a form of meditation; or in other words, to set the counter back to zero in order to get more vitality and energy.
Nature gives me a sanctuary where I can collect my thoughts.
Jan Frode expresses in words how important outdoor life and physical activity is for mental health, especially for people struggling to overcome fear or depression.
I do not venture outdoors to find solutions to problems or to mull over things. On the contrary, that would be the wrong focus. When the objective of the trip is relaxation, inner peace and balance, the secret is to think about as little as possible.
Instead I will concentrate on what I experience around me such as colors, forms, smells, sounds and animal life. I often walk away from the trail, use all my senses and absorb what I am experiencing. I like to call it a “fill up”.
I believe it has to do with something basic, such as the permanency represented by nature resulting in feelings of peace and other perspectives without actually having to chase after them.
Occasionally I stop to take in some of the power found in nature. I smell some moss, put my arm around a tree or feel a rock to sense some of the energy there. Some of the trees have been standing for two hundred years. Even that fact is worth mulling over; what patience! Even if we don’t have as much time on our hands, most of our daily problems will fade after a trip like that.
Rocks also contain energy and they are of course the oldest subjects we can relate to on this earth. Meet nature with a fresh perspective and an open mind, and you will then also get something back in return.
It is common sense not to go alone on treks in the mountains. This is understandable since there would not be anyone there to help if an accident should happen. However, to place yourself in a vulnerable position where everything depends on you and your own choices can also be valuable. You can get a better dialog with nature when nobody else is there and therefore also a better dialog with yourself.
In addition, I believe it can be healthy to be alone now and then within the limits you are comfortable with.
What is worst about these solo trips to the North- and South Poles? That is a question often asked me, the physical toil or the mental strain. I usually answer that it is all in your head and that it is not possible to separate the two from each other.
To have a functioning body is just as important as having the head in the right place. To test yourself by reaching goals in nature is a fine method to become more self-confident and to build your physique.
For people struggling with fear and depression, this can sound like thoughts coming from someone with plenty of surplus energy. For many the mental “pack ice” is blocking the way and it can be a struggle just to get up in the morning. However, I still feel that much can be done with simple measures on your own to improve your individual situation.
The secret is to have a plan and to take it easy in the beginning. Start with a little walk, anything, just to get started, and then increase it gradually. Then you will know what you can do and have done, and then you can accomplish more the next time.
Prepare yourself, buy suitable maps, make a plan and then follow it. Visit new places and gradually increase the distance covered for each trip. Don’t think too far ahead in time. Make short-term goals, concentrate on simple things at start and take it from there. Perhaps you should take a friend with you, but don’t be afraid to go alone. Ghosts are in the city, not in nature.
Physical activity will also yield a bonus in that you will sleep better and longer after brisk exercise. Find a platform outdoors in nature and you will have a place to recover when stress makes life difficult.
The strong sides of a person are cultivated in our society and it is easy to forget that humans have both strong and weak sides. This is what makes us whole humans and the two sides should be in balance and harmony with each other. Here is where nature can be of help. I am quite certain that if mental health treatments in this country consisted of more hikes, more wood chopping and less popping of pills, many patients would often have different and much better days.
Greetings from Børge.
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