Walk
On Monday, I went for my weekly walk along the Trinity but unfortunately wasn’t exposed to any new forms of wildlife this week. I snapped a few pictures of the local animals that I see on a regular basis now, but aside from what is pictured below (Blue Heron, White Heron, Turtles), it was relatively quiet that morning. Although the wildlife didn’t catch my attention as it has in the past few weeks, I found this walk to actually be rather informative.
We're living in a relatively stressful time right now between the pandemic, my senior year of college - searching for jobs and a plan for next year, election season and a full class load. To say it lightly, there has been a lot on my mind recently. Throughout the course of this semester, I have found that walking, especially in a natural environment, has a profound calming affect which allows me to completely clear my mind and enjoy the surrounding nature.
I am honestly impressed by their ability to do this because I constantly stress about extraordinarily random subjects. I have trouble sleeping at night - my mind does not stop racing about how my interview went that day, which job applications are due the next or how my dinner tasted that evening. The fact that the outdoors can calm my mind more than I can is a characteristic I am, to a certain extent, grateful for.
I am glad I took this course because if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have developed the stress-relieving habits I have now in regards to my weekly walk. When I finish this class, I will continue to walk somewhere outdoors once a week at the very least. In addition, I have recently begun walking outside simply to relieve stress or calm down, not just on a weekly basis. If i have a test, a long homework assignment, an interview, or some other sort of stressor, I have found that walking around for twenty minutes afterward is a fantastic way to calm down. I am not sure what it is about the outdoors that provides this calming effect, but I am certainly happy that it does.
*Attached below is a photograph of when I went skydiving in Interlaken, Switzerland this spring. One of the coolest experiences of my lifetime.
Thanks for posting. It is a stressful time, and I think graduating in the spring makes it all the more stressful. But being outside does--I believe--help. It certainly helps me, and as you state it's helpful just to get out and walk. I think both being outside and physical activities are stress-relievers. I hope that you can thrive despite the stress and restrictions.
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