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How Spending Time in Nature Can Improve Your Mood
Yesterday I woke up to my first day in Telluride, Colorado. A place I’ve been told is amazing to visit, and a must see for people who love outdoor adventure. But for some reason I wasn’t enjoying myself. I don’t know if it was the heavy beer drinking from the day before, my lack of eight hours of sleep the previous night, or the fact that it had been four days since I had significant alone time. All I knew is that my body and soul needed some time to recharge.
I found this hiking trail that my girlfriend recommended. When I started the hike I had the intention of only hiking for about an hour. I told myself that I would walk for 30 minutes in one direction and then turnaround. The beginning of the hike was tough. It was mostly uphill and I was a little worried that I didn’t have enough water. But as I met people coming down the mountain looking refreshed and with what seemed to be less water than what I was carrying I remained positive.
After about 20 minutes of hiking my mood began to improve. I went from feeling tired and exhausted to feeling energized. My monkey brain began to calm. My thoughts were no longer jumping from one topic to the next. I suddenly began…
