Mini-adventuring in your own country
It's been over two months since I flew back to Belgium after an eight-month long trip and I am still suffering from a travel hangover (yes, that's a thing!). To combat the hangover symptoms, I decided to go and explore more of my own country as I realized I hadn't seen half of it yet. I'm sure a lot of people can relate. The landscape isn't as diverse as in New Zealand or Australia, but still, there are some nice spots left to discover.
Being in nature is essential for my mental health because I get stressed out quite easily as my mind is always (over-)thinking and running stories at an unstoppable pace. Then I long for the days I was hiking in the mountains in Italy, on a boat surrounded by fjords in Norway, or sitting with a few close friends around a campfire in the desert in Australia. No TV or wifi, no rush of people, no cars, no sound but the wind. Hiking especially has had a tremendous positive effect on my mental health state. I only discovered this a few years ago when I was studying in Northern Norway and we would go for 6 hour hikes on snow-covered mountains and sleep in cabins overnight. However, one cannot always escape abroad every time stresslevels get high. So, last week I called up some friends, put on my walking shoes and went for a sunny winter day exploring, twice! Although there were no jaw-dropping "I cannot believe how beautiful it is here"-moments, I really enjoyed it and felt revitalized and calm. Now, the weather in the Belgian winter doesn't always make you want to go outside, but then I remember what my dear friend from Denmark once told me: there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing (by the way, Scandinavian countries teach their kids this in kindergarten!).
Let's talk about mental health, baby
But let's talk a bit more about mental health issues. It's sad to see how many people are suffering from heavy stress, burn-outs and depression in our society today. It's been heavily discussed in the media, but I also see it around me everywhere. Unfortunately, there have also been three cases this year where a friend of a friend of mine committed suicide. I am also not afraid to say that a few years back I was depressed and suffered from anxiety attacks. I isolated myself, was angry at the world, felt very insecure and even wished I hadn't been born. It's strange to think I ever had these thoughts, because I look at the world and myself completely different today and after this period I had some of the happiest times in my life. But, the mind works in mysterious ways.
It wasn't easy to lift myself back up, but what helped me through was gaining knowledge on how the mind works, being active, discovering the effects being in nature had on me and, this is very important, talking about it. When I started opening up about it, more and more people told me they also suffered from anxiety attacks or depression. Because our society has become so individualistic, self-centred and focused on showing how great your life is on social media, it feels like there is no more space to talk openly about these issues, even though everyone struggles with it. You get the impression you have to be happy and confident all the time, and keep your problems to yourself. However, it's worth it to break down these walls and engage in meaningful conversations - you'll be surprised at what might come of it, for yourself and/or for the other person. Therefore, I want to encourage people to WALK AND TALK. On a regular basis. Mental health issues can of course not be addressed solely by this, but it can offer some relief and stress reduction for everyone. So, put on those boots, call a friend, and go out there!
