{"id":4217,"date":"2020-01-29T18:06:15","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T22:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.halifaxtrails.ca\/blog\/?p=4217"},"modified":"2021-05-14T03:26:52","modified_gmt":"2021-05-14T06:26:52","slug":"road-to-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.halifaxtrails.ca\/blog\/road-to-recovery\/","title":{"rendered":"The Road To Recovery: Nature Rehab For Body & Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Today marks a day where mental health is in the spotlight through things like Bell Canada’s #BellLetsTalk<\/a> and other less corporate means.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Everyone has their own challenges, battles, shortcomings, and adversities.\u00a0 Sharing stories, feelings, encouragement, and lessons from your own battles can benefit others fighting similar ones.\u00a0 Today I was writing a social media post to share one such battle of mine.\u00a0 I’ve decided to make it into a blog post to share in a longer form.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Whenever life gets tough, I always head out into nature.\u00a0 Whether recovering from physical injury or life\u2019s mental health challenges, nature is nurture.\u00a0 <\/span>When I woke up one day and mysteriously lost all of my inner-ear function (balance), I was forced to take on a challenge I wasn\u2019t prepared for.\u00a0 Everyday activities from navigating the isles at the grocery store, walking in a straight line down the sidewalk, and no longer being able to drive really put a wrench in every aspect of my life.\u00a0 From outward appearance, you wouldn’t guess I had any physical disability.\u00a0 My stumbling and off-balance walking made me very self-conscious as people would give me sideways glances assuming I was drunk.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"balance<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0I Struggled through physio, where I wasn’t able to stand without assistance on a foam balance pad.\u00a0 For months and years, I had many setbacks both physically and mentally. Activities I love were now difficult-to-impossible. The most devastating moments came when I was invited to activities I used to enjoy, but now realized I could no longer do.\u00a0 I feared never being able to go on a bike ride, a paddle, or hike again. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0When faced with life\u2019s biggest challenges, I do what I\u2019ve always done and headed out into nature. I began the long, slow, careful process of recovery, wobbly step by wobbly step.\u00a0 In local parks & trails, I had quiet, tearful moments alone as I wrestled with a new future.\u00a0 Both mentally and physically these hikes became the most important aspect of my recovery.\u00a0 <\/span>Hiking was not only the absolute best thing for helping my brain rewire itself to improve my balance, but it was also the best thing to put life in perspective and shift my brain into a positive mode of thinking. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0This is all to say that when life gets tough, head into nature.\u00a0 The solutions to problems, the motivation to continue, the benefits to physical and mental wellbeing are all there for you free of charge. The hardest part is always mustering up the motivation to head out and take the first few steps.\u00a0 I can proudly say I\u2019m now hiking almost as well as before, am able to bike on our glorious rails-to-trails<\/a> (you may spot the occasional wobble in my videos), and can even skate as poorly as ever.\u00a0 I can now stand on the previously mentioned balance pad on one leg, with my eyes closed.\u00a0 Every small victory is another brick in the wall of building yourself back up.\u00a0 Stick to it and things will always get better.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"YouTube