The feeling of crisp fall air in your lungs with the crunch of fallen leaves under your feet and the lulling sound of life coming from every direction is an experience matched by no other. While each of these sensations can be felt anywhere at one point or another, such as walking to class or driving your car with the windows down, rarely do we have the opportunity to experience them all together without any other life distractions. Through my experience, my ideal way to go searching for these magical feelings is to take a hike in the closest forest I can find.
When many people hear the word “hiking,” their mind immediately jumps to images of grand backpacking voyages through giant mountains, across rivers, and through valleys, all the while only eating nuts and dried fruit from their backpacks. However, while this type of adventure pleases some people, it is certainly not for everyone. Fortunately, hiking means something different to each person. Hiking can range from a rigorous lifestyle of backpacking, to simply taking a walk in the woods down the road. These casual hikes are not only accessible to so many people, but they are also a fantastic way to practice self-care by improving both physical and mental health.
In terms of physical health, hiking can be a life-changing way to work out. Hiking is essentially just walking with some hills thrown into the mix, and while walking can be easy, hiking is more physically taxing than one might think. By adding changes in elevation, putting on a weighted backpack, and walking at a brisk pace, I can confidently say you will be sweating in minutes. This kind of exercise is both cardio and strength training for your lower body.
While it is an excellent way to improve your physical health, I have found that the most beneficial aspect of hiking is the mental exercise that occurs, especially when hiking alone. Solo hiking allows us to have time to be with ourselves, without any stressors that may be present in our lives, such as technology, schoolwork, or relationship troubles. Therefore, it allows us to take time to be with ourselves and only ourselves. For me, when I go for a hike by myself, nothing else seems to matter except for what I am sensing around me: all I hear are the insects in the trees, all I feel is the air over my skin, all I smell are the fallen leaves around me, all I taste is the water that I just drank, and all I see is an infinite expanse of trees. By becoming in touch with my senses and my physical surroundings, I am unknowingly practicing mindfulness.
The skill of mindfulness is a tool that is incredibly useful for anyone, but it is especially useful for those who have anxiety. Anxiety tends to cause us to feel stuck inside our own heads because of issues in our lives or other topics that our brain decides are important to think about, and sometimes, it feels as if it is impossible to escape anxiety-driven thoughts. This is where mindfulness comes in; mindfulness allows us to pull our focus away from our thoughts and onto our physical selves and our surroundings in the present moment. Thus, hiking can be used as a way to further develop mindfulness skills by focusing on what is going on outside of our body rather than inside our brain, therefore helping to reduce anxieties that we may have.
Improving both physical and mental health is a challenging feat and can be a daunting task when looking at it as such. However, simply going for a hike in the woods a couple of times a week can prove to be a life-changing addition. Sometimes our bodies just need to be taken out of our normal routine, even if that just means practicing mindfulness by sitting on a bench underneath a tree that you see every day, instead of walking past it.