My happy place…
If you have followed me on Instagram or Twitter, you probably know I do some hiking. Let me be clear – growing up, I was not exactly a fitness person. I hated going to PE class, and then during college I tried to use the gym, but usually ended up eating Fruity Pebbles and watching Jerry Springer in my free time.
Fast forward to moving out West. I grew up in Houston, which isn’t exactly an outdoor town. If you’ve been there, you know you can’t spend time outside much of the year. It would be like running in a sauna. You break a sweat walking from your house to your car. So it shocked me to see people willingly exercising outside in California. ALL. THE. TIME. I never saw that in Houston. Nobody walked to the neighborhood coffee shop, because the walk wasn’t air-conditioned.
So as you can imagine, I was intrigued. Here was all this beautiful nature, and perfect weather practically every day. Never too hot or cold, not humid. It was almost shameful to stay indoors. But I wasn’t a runner, or a surfer, or a volleyball player. So, I started walking.
Pretty soon I was checking out all the local trails around me.
There was Runyon Canyon, Griffith Park, Franklin Canyon. It felt really good to walk, especially in the morning. It cleared my head, prepared me for the day. Like a walking meditation.
I don’t take headphones with me on hikes. I like hearing the sounds of nature, to be alone with my thoughts and no distractions. There’s something freeing about it. I start my hikes with that little voice inside my head, going through everything I need to do, who I should call, and where I need to go; then it wanders to bigger questions: how I’m feeling, issues in my relationships, and what I should be doing with my life. I let it have its say, which usually takes at least a good half hour. Then my mind calms down, and I make myself pay attention to every second of my walk – what it smells like, the air hitting my face, the flowers in bloom, the bunny on the trail in front of me, the hawk flying above. There’s so much going on in the stillness.
It’s a strange thing. I find myself able to think more clearly. Almost like talking to a best friend who helps you get outside of your muddled brain.
By the end of the hike, my body aches, my brain is calm, and I feel more focused. It is like a caffeine high without the coffee.
It also helps to have these views…
For those of you who don’t hike – think of a physical activity you like doing, and imagine what it feels like when you’re “in the zone” – that place where you are moving freely and feeling unstoppable. That’s kind of what I experience when I hike.
I’m only sharing this because I think it’s important to have a practice that helps you reset your thinking, to get out of your own head. Whether it’s hiking, a sport, meditation, or yoga – it’s important to have a daily mental practice. Your brain needs to be trained to calm down just like the muscles in your body need to be exercised to operate effectively. I’m convinced of this.
Most of us allow our brains to hijack our best intentions, and then we self-sabotage.
Spring in Mendocino
What I mean by self-sabotage is that your reactions, impulses, and crazy thinking shape your days, instead of your calm, open-hearted and true self. Maybe you get jealous of a friend who is doing well in her career. Maybe you have road rage. Maybe you pick fights with a boyfriend or girlfriend. Maybe you send that email to your ex that you should delete. You don’t want these things to happen, but your feelings seem beyond your control.
I don’t want this for myself. So I hike, I meditate, I do yoga.
I do what I need to do to break the pattern of crazy thinking. For lack of a better description, I reset my brain. It’s not perfect, but there is a notable difference. These things give me peace of mind. They stop those impulses from taking over.
Really, hiking not only gives me pleasure, but peace.
XO,
Kelly
About Kelly Seal
Kelly is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, CA. She blogs about dating, relationships, personal growth and what "healthy living" means to her. You can follow her on Google+, Twitter @kellyseal or through her website www.kellyseal.com.
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