Our lives can be full of things that bring so much stress and anxiety. People often wonder if they can add more hours in their days – if only that were possible. With so many responsibilities at home or during work, many struggles to find time to relax and find peace in their lives.
According to a recent study, 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope, and these numbers are expected to grow every year.
There are many ways to relieve stress. People can try various lifestyle changes such as physical activity, reducing home clutter, or incorporating mediation.
As for outdoor activities, camping can surely be a great choice. Did you know that camping can also be a stress-relieving activity? Often overlooked, camping can bring you the time to unwind in the rubble of life. Below are some of the benefits of camping to relieve stress and anxiety.
Avoid Stress, Just Relax and Be a Happy Camper – Photo Courtesy: Esther Tuttle @ Unsplash
How Does Camping Help Us Relax?
1. Camping Helps Us Appreciate Nature
It may seem like stating the obvious, but camping is one of the best ways to experience the great outdoors. The simple act of being in a location where you get to appreciate the trees, lakes, sunlight, birds, and other natural details can help your mind relax and put you in a calm, peaceful mood.
Most people are used to the urban lifestyle where all they see are high-rise buildings , crowded streets, people honking their cars, and other unpleasant forms of visual and auditory pollution. Getting away from these types of environment can help you clear your mind and provide you with emotional rest.
2. Camping Gives You Fresh Air
The lack of oxygen in the body aggravates symptoms of stress and anxiety. This is why experts often suggest people practice deep breathing techniques to calm down during tense situations. What better way to do your deep breathing when the air is crisp and fresh? Camping gives you that opportunity.
As you explore the nature, your body will be replenished with much-needed oxygen that the plants provide. This same oxygen can also nourish the cells in your body which will make you feel rejuvenated. How relaxing is that thought?
3. Camping Brings Out the Child in You
Do you remember the good old days where you feel that rush of excitement outdoors, wishing the sun would never set? Those are the feelings that camping can bring. Whether you are young or young at heart, it can be such a delight to explore something off the beaten path, or just to simply look back at the times when you were once carefree.
It’s never too late to feel like a child and break free from the stresses of life. Try your hand at fishing, cycling, hiking or just sitting by a fire pit under the stars.
Having this time of reminiscing about youthful days can keep your mind off the responsibilities temporarily. Your mind will be recharged and ready once you get that time for relaxation.
4. Camping Boosts Your Happy Hormones
Whenever people participate in recreational activities such as camping, the body instantly releases a very special molecule called serotonin. Serotonin, otherwise known as the “happy hormone” is helpful in alleviating symptoms of stress in the body. It can improve your circulation, help you breathe better, give you energy and allow you to have mental clarity.
Experts suggest that people should make time to participate in some form of leisure regularly. When life’s curveballs weigh you down, a quick trip to the woods with your tent and backpack may be the best way to go.
5. Camping Keeps You Away from Technological Distractions
Plenty of people complain about not having enough time in the day. However, it is often debatable if this is really the problem or if the root cause is actually how we spend our time… Camping can reverse this problem by plucking you out of the usual routine of using laptops, tablets, mobile phones and keeping your eyes glued on different types of screens.
Too much use of technology can leave us feeling depressed and anxious. Some researchers point out that excessive use of social media can even cause people to feel like they are not doing well as they compare themselves with others.
The fast-paced nature of technology can also decrease our attention span, make us feel impatient, and overload our minds with too much information. Cutting yourself from the toxic nature of gadgets and social media can help you see what’s truly important in your life.
6. Development of new skills
You can’t help but develop new skills while camping. Everyone on the trip will contribute and it’s a great chance to learn new things. You may learn how to set up tents, tie knots, start fires, cook a new meal and more. These skills are important to have, and yet we don’t often get a chance to develop them during the course of our regular busy schedules.
While the benefits of camping for adults also apply to young people, there are a number of benefits specific to younger campers.
7. Educational Opportunities
For kids, time spent camping is time spent learning, which is one of the reasons scouting programs are so valuable. They facilitate camping experiences that are built around kids learning new things, including fishing, cooking, hiking, tying knots, fire-starting, safety, first aid and much more.
8. Growth of confidence
It’s important for children to gradually become more independent and confident in their own capabilities. One of the benefits of camping for youth is that it allows them to learn independence in a safe and controlled environment. Children become more confident as they learn new things and have first-time experiences.
9. Family connections
Camping is beneficial for children and their families because it can help strengthen bonds between family members — brothers and sisters, parents and children and the list goes on. You will all return home feeling much stronger as a group.
10. It Gets Your Body Exercising & Burns Calories
Once again many people are not active enough in their regular routine. By going out for a camping trip, you can take a nice hike through nature. This gets your body exercising and burning calories as well. In addition, you can also take your dog on a hike. There are many dog hiking tips to follow to make sure your pup is in good shape. Both small dogs and big dogs work well out on the trails and for camping. Of course, you’ll want to be mindful of other hikers out in the woods. For this reason, you may also want to pack a dog harness for hiking.
Avoid Stress, Be a Happy Camper
If these benefits still don’t convince you to try camping out, then you are really missing out on a lot. There’s a reason why people who love the outdoors are less stressed – and maybe you should try being an outdoor person once in a while.
Please give a call on 07907 339 413 to find out how we can help you escape to a stress relieving break in the Hertfordshire countryside.