Take a Break, Take a Hike!
Getting a breath of fresh air can be the difference between a breakdown and helping restore mental health.
It’s finals week. I have three exams, four 12-page papers, and two presentations due in one week, and I haven’t studied or started anything. It’s enough to make someone lose their mind, but luckily there is a way to help.
Take a hike.
Hiking is an ideal outlet available to any college student, and the best part is that it is completely free. And while a walk in the woods can certainly get you a potentially popular Instagram-worthy photo, it also has the far bigger upside of helping restore and maintain mental health.
For as long as I can remember my family has loved doing anything that requires going out into nature. When I am out in nature there is a connection that occurs that I cannot explain, but the closest thing to it is freedom. When you feel good you do good, or so the saying goes. Think about it, though: When you are less stressed you have time to focus on yourself and focus your energy in more productive ways. You realize that the project or assignment you were working on was almost effortless. There was no struggle to try and get it done on time and properly because finding that moment of peace within nature helps you feel rejuvenated. Even a small break outdoors can be beneficial.
“Just get out in nature and don’t be stuck indoors. Less people get to see California for what it truly is.”
There are a few nearby trails within a 20 to 25 mile radius that have beautiful scenery and aren’t too difficult, for those only looking for a nice morning stroll.
Elk Grove, CA 95757) The lake is located south of Sacramento. It lies between Sacramento-San Joaquin delta. It is the destination for hundreds of migrating birds such as shorebirds. It was established in 1994.
The stress that many students go through can be damaging to the overall mental health of the individual. Often, the main obstacle to feeling better is oneself — for example, such regular excuses as, “It’s too far, or it’s too expensive.” But a connection with nature can help alleviate some of that stress on the brain and help someone refocus on more important things, like that final exam that’s right around the corner.
Kim Roberts, a psychology professor at Sacramento State, has focused her research on how physical activity restores mental health. “It’s as easy as going for a mile hike, and it doesn’t have to be too far,” Roberts said. “You’ll come back, having refreshed the blood flow to the brain, and you don’t realize how important it is until you’re doing it.”
Some of the best advice I received came from avid hiker Branson Bills of the Sacramento Outdoors — Hiking | Backpacking Group on Facebook. “Just get out in nature, and don’t be stuck indoors,” Bills said. “Less people get to see California for what it truly is.”
Bills and his fellow avid hikers do a weekly trip to many areas around the Sacramento and Northern California regions. While he was reluctant to cite a favorite trail (“A true hiker has no favorite place; they are all beautiful in their own way,” he told me), Bills recommended the two below:
According to Roberts’ study on how everyday life can damper the individual’s mental state, “It is not a secret that the rise of urbanization has given rise to rates of anxiety disorders and depression amongst the individual.” She continued to explain that if people look back at the difference of stress levels and responsibilities college students today face in comparison to when their parents were in college the list seems endless. “It has been proven that students today face more anxiety disorders and depression due to several reasons, the main one being tuition fees,” Roberts said.
Jael Young, department director at the student-focused Sacramento State recreation organization Peak Adventures, says that just getting out into nature and breaking away from everyday routine is extremely important to maintain stability within ourselves. “Every 30 minutes you add to your driving circumference in Sacramento you add about 100 different destinations and possibilities to go hiking,” Young said.
The positive effects, holistically, are beyond the physical activity of hiking. It helps the emotional, the mental, and the spiritual self. Nature allows for the individual to feel connected and grounded with oneself. “After our day trip to the American River, my students are required to write a reflection paper,” adds Young, who also teaches part time in the Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration Department at Sacramento State. “About 99.9 percent of the time, I get nothing but positive responses. They all say that they had no idea how much they needed to just take a break from everything and breathe.”
Hiking is available year-round and it doesn't require you to be an expert. Best of all it requires zero dollars. So, take a break, go for a hike, and let nature be your sanctuary.
