We all know the importance of trying to manage a healthy work-life balance, but in the chaos of modern life, it can be easier said than done. So what is it about camping that appears so to be so good at restoring our equilibrium and makes it such a positive influence on our wellbeing?
- Maintaining a healthy work life balance is not always easy.
- Why is camping thought to be such a positive influence?
Just as we start to nudge towards autumn, some of us may still be basking in the rosy glow of a summer holiday, hopefully having managed to unwind, reconnect and destress.
And yet, we all know that it doesn’t take long to be back on the treadmill and the next holiday can feel like an awfully long way off. Breaks are important, but with next summer as far away as it’s ever been, camping offers some great benefits and gives us the opportunity to have some quick holiday joy closer to home.
Firstly, one of the benefits of a camping break after summer is that it’s a far more budget option than many holidays, and when you take into account the cost of what you might spend on entertainment or going out at home, it really doesn’t have to cost any more.
Then there’s convenience. How many times have you wondered why you’ve never actually visited places on your doorstep that other people seem to come and enjoy from far further afield? Camping in your local area gives you the perfect opportunity to take a break nearby and see your area’s amazing locations through a new lens.
Obviously, the same goes for more remote locations or indeed anywhere that you’d like to visit. Camping just gives you that quick and easy opportunity to get away from the crowds and the urban overload, even for a little while. You get to breathe in our great outdoors, and you can be as flexible as you like from a night to a weekend to a week – even changing your mind once you get there so long as there are pitches available.
Still on the theme of complicated modern life, one of a camping’s joys is its simplicity. With no need to buy and consume yet more stuff, camping is all about recognising and reminding ourselves to appreciate the basics that matter most. Having a coffee from the stove as the sun rises, playing Snakes and Ladders as the sun sets, playing ball games because there’s no reason not to, and just being with the people we love with no distractions.
There’s a certain general camping camaraderie that comes with all being in it together, but for children, camping provides an ideal opportunity for them to develop their skills and rise to a little low stakes responsibility as they pitch in with the chores and carry out their own particular tasks.
They will learn so much simply by exploring new places, discovering things in nature new to them, seeing the stars, visiting historical site, the list goes on. Whatever the children experience it will make them more aware of the world they inhabit and stimulate their minds – while adults as well as children will be blissfully distracted from devices, electronic games. and phones, (especially of you ‘forget’ to bring the charger).
As a cost effective, quick and easy opportunity to relax, reflect and recharge, camping really is good for you.