Why You Should Opt Outside in Recovery
Lots of people live by to-do lists and regimens to get through the day. It is easier to go on autopilot than to focus on nature and being outside. So much of life is lived indoors from the moment people wake up to the time they get in their car, go to work, and come home. Finishing those lists seems more important than spending time outside. Learn more about why opting outside is a key component of recovery and can help stabilize, or improve, overall mood and health.
Understanding Stress
Stress means pressure or compression. Stress is also a verb to place greater importance on something. Stress comes from compression, pushing too much into too little space. Stress is what happens when a person’s life is too full to contain everything necessary and then it begins to overflow. Millions of people are not able to feed their kids, much less worry about going outside to play in nature. There is one thing to consider. Everyone experiences stress differently. Once you know how you handle stress, you can focus on healing your life from all the things causing stress in your life.
Getting Outside
Under the branches of a willow tree, outside by a river, being by a park are all ways to get outside. When you get out under the stars and camp or go for a hike down a path in the woods, it sparks something in the brain. It is so easy to forget and not focus on what needs to be done. We can step outside our narrow way of life and start to open ourselves to thinking about the ways that our recovery needs us to get outside ourselves and into nature. The universe, itself, breathes in and out. The trees inhale and exhale the rhythm of the day and Earth slowly rotates into and out of light. As we think of ways the Earth is focused on keeping itself going, why should humans be any different.
New Ways
When you think about how to get outside more, or ways to explore nature, it is going to look different for you than it might someone else. Some tips to think about when looking to get outside:
- Have the right gear. Get jackets for the weather to keep rain and wind off to make it more pleasant to be outside
- Find people to go with, including groups of people who want to explore, or just a friend you met at a recovery group
- Find activities you like doing like hiking, walking, biking, or other outdoor activities
- Make a consistent effort to keep going and find a time and day that work for your schedule so you keep doing it and not give up
Getting out into nature is not everyone’s idea of a good time. Sometimes, people do not like to get outside the box. Recovery is a great time to explore new ways of finding your new center. Nature has a way of reminding us of our smallness rather than focusing on our ‘big problems.’ They can seem to disappear when we realize how we fit into the cosmic scheme of things.
The Palmetto Center helps you find your center with our programs based on your individual recovery. Our community support provides structure while trained counselors offer life skills training and therapeutic techniques to help you move past addiction. Our program provides special focus for professionals including chiropractors, nurses, doctors, lawyers, and more who need help with addiction recovery. Call us to find out more: 866-848-3001.
