If you’re anything like me, you find yourself indoors way too often. Whether you’re working, studying, excercising, or enjoying a movie, the four walls of doom sometimes feel like they’re coming down on you. The good news is there’s a way to avoid this without ditching any of your time-consuming commitments. Not only is getting out a great stress reliever, but it also clears your mind and warms your heart. After all, Aristotle did say, “in all things of nature there is something of marvelous.”
Unsure of where to go? No need to worry. Continue reading to discover some of the best sites to refocus your mind and abandon your thoughts.
Malibu Creek State Park
Malibu Creek State Park is a great place to escape your worries. There’s nothing better than you, the trees, the mountains, and no outside noise. With just birds chirping and the sweet sounds of silence guiding you along, anything in your life can be accomplished. A lot of the time we forget the environment and what surrounds us. We forget that the world wasn’t made with manmade buildings to keep us comfortable and mobile phones to keep us company. We forget what it was like before technology and overpopulance. We forget what it’s like to live, and here, you get a little of that back.
The Beach
We’re in Malibu, beach. Get it? As we all know, by living at Pepperdine, the obvious way to react to stress or unease or at least get away is to go to our second home: the beach. I would advise you to find a quiet place near the Pacific and listen to the waves wash all of your obligations away; there is no better feeling.
Go for the beautiful sunrises that emitt colors our minds can barely fathom, go to feel the sand beneath your toes, go to experience a world before we experienced it. In these moments, you find the greatest sense of balance, the deepest sense of peace, and the purest form of happiness. The earth and all it encompasses is a much bigger picture than the life you choose to live on it. An understanding of this humbles us and brings us back to the foundation of our creation.
Alumni Park
Another popular citing for unworldly California sunsets includes our very own Alumni Park. This comfy sighting is nearly always vaccant and the perfect resting spot to admire the world around you. Whether your hope is to reflect or simply be, this is a great spot to do so. It also requires the least amount of transportation. It’s moments at places like this where we give time to ourselves and not our work, or family, or friends, or classes. This is our moment, and the preciousness and vulnerability of it are necesary for a peace of mind.