To those people who do not go out their own door, relegate themselves to onscreen time, complain of depression, social anxiety, all the wrongs that have been done to them by this person or that, whining they can't do this or that, ruminating about memories from decades ago: That's a prison of your own doing. That's way too much time on your hands doing nothing.
The only time you will be free of all your everyday anxieties and worries is when you are somewhere out in nature, away from people.
Your home is where you lie your head. Your home is a place for your stuff. It should never be a fortress of solitude where you hide away and live in the virtual world. Nature is so much more peaceful and stimulating at the same time. Nature is medicine for the soul. Find a National Park to hike, a beach on a tropical island, a lazy river to canoe. Do you know how many anxious, depressed people you will meet? ZERO.
This can work for some, but not for others.
I'm in the middle of absolute nowhere myself, no other houses/buildings/anything nearby, just farm fields and grass and trees. A forest preserve exists about 30 seconds of driving away. I go there frequently. There are many others around here too, of varying sizes.
But there's a couple of things with this:
1, it must not be raining, and must not have rained within the last 2 days (because this turns it into a muddy, slippery mess).
2, No nature area within the entire region is accessible during winter. Most are shut down... as in, closed gates... and those that arent are typically the ones that are extra risky to be in at the best of times, so going in them during the winter would be a very bad idea.
3. Again, absolute middle of nowhere, which also means that the paths and parks are badly maintained. Do you like paths that are almost invisible due to overgrowth (which can have ticks in it)? How about lots of roots to trip over, in steep hills? Damaged, sagging wood bridges over creeks and such? If you like those, then oh boy these parks are super goodtime fun for you.
4. Sure, they're empty of people, but seriously many of them are not safe, I cant stress that enough. Almost always when I'm at one, I'm the only one there, but that's likely because I'm just really used to dealing with and navigating them. Nobody else seems to want to go in them. Anyone I try to bring with me to one, will only go that once, and they usually are more stressed out after than they were before entering.
5. Flying bugs everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
6, They just... really dont help much. I go to them strictly because of the exercise, which I need in order to keep pain at bay. But other than that... the initial exploration of a newly found one can be interesting (albeit full of bugs), but the novelty wears off fast. Considering the nature of my personal issues, being alone with my thoughts is not a healthy option. I need mentally engaging activities to keep the effects of depression at bay. The endless bug swarms dont fit the bill there.
The only type of nature area that ACTUALLY helps me out is the ocean. But that's a 2 hour plane trip away.
