The schools have started again, sports clubs are running at full speed again and we are often ‘just’ back to work. After a day of work, the summer vacation seems far away for many people and the feeling of ‘the daily grind’ is lurking. According to writer and adventurer Brigitte Ars from Breda University of Applied Sciences, you can prevent that feeling with a so-called ‘micro-adventure’. “Walk through a neighborhood where you have never been before,” she advises.
The well -known ‘daily grind’ seems like an innocent phenomenon, but according to Ars it can certainly have an effect on your mental health. By doing something new and leaving it out of your comfort zone, you break that pattern: “That gives a surprising and refreshing effect and is good for your mental health. This is how you put new connections in your head and you get out of control and routine.”
Anyone who immediately thinks that you have to go on a hike with a backpack is wrong. “The advantage of a micro adventure is that it is short and cheap and you can integrate it into your daily life,” says Ars. This way you can take a different route to work or walk the way during the break walk, she gives examples. Doing a message after work? Then choose another supermarket.
“Set up a tent in someone else’s garden.”
The writer likes to swim at a lake for a small adventure. “Preferably in the evening when there is no one anymore,” she admits. “But you can also go for a walk through a neighborhood where you have never been before, camping in your own garden or setting up a tent in someone else’s garden.”
A little more time? Think of a special walking route of two or three days or an afternoon of kayaking to break the daily grind, Ars suggests. According to her, it does not really matter what kind of activity you undertake: the most important thing is the attitude with which you enter into the adventure. “You have to be curious, be flexible and be open to new encounters and skills. Follow the pebble brick that you are curious about,” she closes.
