Healthy body, healthy mind- the benefits of the outdoors on mental health.

So you’re preparing for your net expedition , anxiety can be high as you pack and prepare. You are trying not train so that your body makes it through and also making you’re all your work is done so the boss doesn’t regret giving you that leave.

But when you arrive home, you feel nothing like you sis in the days leasing up to your trip. Why?

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you have finished your trip and the anxiety of the unknown is over. Thats true, but there is also another huge factor as to why you feel so refreshed and energised after spending time in the outdoors – your mental state!

Outdoor therapy is a real thing with many companies now choosing it as an option for their employees to refresh their minds and promote productivity. There is a reason why this works – a reconnection to nature.

It is a fantastic to know that we are in a day and age where discussing mental health with family, friends and work colleagues is accepted and not something to keep quiet. Furthermore, you can engage in a number of different activities that promote good mental health, many of these being outdoor related. A lot of people who join our expeditions don’t expect such a change in their own mental state.

This is also the reason why we engage with a number of youth organisations.

From the Overland Track to Kokoda, We guide over 50 young people a year on our expeditions and many of them have their own tough stories.

Walking Kokoda is more than following history, its more than visiting beautiful PNG, its about helping to build a level of resilience and self worth. It gives something to draw on later in life when things get tough, it helps to strengthen mind’s and build self confidence.

Reconnecting to nature has proven to have a positive effect on your mental health and that is a key reason why your training leading up to an expedition and the expedition itself can assist your mental state.

Understanding this can sometimes, well, play with your mind. However it is quite simple – it is how your brain works in nature. To help get that calm post expedition feeling ore often you can keep your training up to promote endorphins, get yourself outdoors more often with day walks with friends (we regularly run training walks around Australia) or just dedicate some time to enjoy the outdoors.

Being outdoors helps build a healthy body and healthy mind.