Get Out of Your Head (and Get Into the Woods)

Latourell Falls

Columbia River Gorge

The Wilderness of Oregon

I apologize ahead of time for the delay in posting.  This past week was a catty-wampus one, but I will make it up to you by showing you some lovely hiking pictures.

Deal?  Deal.

First things first—

This may sound weird, but have you ever felt like your world was on fire?  This is what I call it when things in life take a radical change.  Your previous thoughts and perspectives, ideals, beliefs—it all burns.  Without sounding cliché or corny, a new outlook rises from the ashes, but man.  No one tells you just how shitty that transition can be.

Some symptoms of change I notice in myself are anxiety, doubt, fear, and negative thoughts by the boatload.  These are exactly the things that you don’t want to have to fight off, especially when you’re already going through the motions with work, friends, family, and relationships.  All that adult stuff.

You have to find relief—but how do you do that in a healthy way?  I know some folks hit addictions pretty hard, resorting to pills or the bottle to give their brains a break.  I’ve been trying to talk it out, but I feel like a broken record talking with my loved ones.

This time, I decided to try something different—get out of my head and get into nature (or in this case, the woods).

Allow me to introduce you to Latourell Falls, a hidden gem in the Columbia River Gorge, about 29 miles from Portland.

The very act of getting out of my car was such a cool refreshment to a burning mind.  You’re met with the gentle roar of the waterfall, consistent and steady, which calms you from the inside out.  The trail overall is a fair level of difficulty for a novice hiker, but the scenery and atmosphere are worth the spike of your pulse.  Even as your breath cools, you can’t help but feel your jaw drop in admiration of everything around you.

Mind you, I was hiking in late November, so crispness in the air was to be expected.  It wasn’t unwelcome though.  Being surrounded with so much beauty and solitude helped quell the mental fires.  In a flash, those emails, plans, disagreements—they dissipate into the misty, evergreen coolness.  You’re suddenly looking at your life from 3500 feet, watching things move and adjust themselves.  There’s no need for you to be entrenched the whole time.  You are allowed to give your brain a break.

What better break than nature? 

Sure, I have the good fortune of having waterfalls about an hour from my house, but this is something you can experience at a park, a walking trail, etc.  Get outside.  Get some fresh air.  In turn, you’ll get a fresh perspective.

For me, it’s Monday, 24 hours post-hike.  My attitude is refreshed, my train of thought taking a more positive turn, and for lack of a better way of describing it—I feel healthier overall.

Morale of the story—if you feel like you’re beaten eaten alive by the numerous things in your life, give yourself a break.  Get out in nature.  Repeat frequently.  You deserve it.

al