I have been struggling with some mental health issues over the past three months and I often feel extremely alone. It hurts a lot and I often feel stuck not knowing what to do or how to help myself. Now I am aware that there are things that I can do to help alleviate my suffering. I am going to talk about one thing in particular in this column and how it has helped me. My hope is that someone out there reading this column will benefit from knowing how I have managed and coped with my issues and the tough experiences that I face in my daily life.
Today, in an effort to feel better, I took the initiative of going for a walk in my neighborhood. The act and action of walking creates a sense of progress for me. I also am moving in the forward direction, making myself experience a different, however slight, situation or surrounding. There is wind in my face, the sounds of birds singing, car horns, the sound of traffic and often barking dogs. All of this is part of going for my walks in my neighborhood and I am grateful for it all as it helps remind me that I am an aware, living being experiencing the world that is all around me. I achieve this by walking in my neighborhood and it helps me keep my perspective on my life at a reasonable, comfortable and safe level.
Today I decided to walk toward a destination of which I am quite lucky to have within walking distance. This destination is the Atlantic Ocean only a 15 minute walk from my apartment. Sadly, this bay is polluted and unsafe for swimming and wading in yet this ocean quite beautifully offers me many tools in my quest for personal and mental health wellness. When I walk those 15 minutes on my way to the ocean I find that this exercise is excellent for both my mind and my body. On my journey to the ocean I walk along a beautiful street complete with lots of beautiful trees, wonderful flowers planted in the yards of families, many of whom take particular pride in their homes and their yards and I am also joined by countless birds singing and chirping which for me is both amazing and delightful. All of these nice things make my adventure to the ocean quite amazing, healing and healthy.
Once I’ve arrived at the ocean I am blasted by the lovely and cool sea air and offered a wide view of the bay. There were dozens of moored boats fairly close to the beach and one can see the skyscrapers of downtown Boston and the city skyline in the background. Most spectacularly I find myself under the flight path of airplanes heading to and leaving from Logan airport. There is a boardwalk along the edge of the beach and the road, and it is not uncommon to come across many dogs out enjoying the day with their humans and I like dogs. There are also two sailing clubhouses nestled on the water and lastly, of course, there is sand and at some points lots of rocks
After I have begun my journey walking to the ocean I focus my thoughts on my destination and how I know I will feel better once I get there. I will sometimes work up a bit of a sweat while walking and while observing the trees and flowers and dancing in my mind to the birds songs. As I approach the ocean and I can see the openness and hugeness of it, I begin to feel a massive sense of freedom and I can feel the weighted pain in my mind float away.
I stand there looking out at all that is in front of me in the distance and also being keenly aware of all that is surrounding me on land and I think to myself how lucky and fortunate I am to live so close to all of this. I turn and walk on the boardwalk for almost 10 minutes soaking in that sea air while my body takes step after step toward achieving my wellness.
I can count on this experience to bring me to a peaceful and healing place every time I seek it out. I want to be healthy and I want to be well. Sometimes in our lives we face painful realities that are way out of our control and there may be only limited ways in which we can address these situations that get in the way of our happiness and our lives and prevent us from fulfilling our hopes and our dreams. I have figured out that walking to the ocean helps me feel better when I am not feeling well and I have figured out that this journey of mine will inevitably bring me clarity and peacefulness. There are not so many wonderful things in this world such as an ocean being only a 15 minute walk from my home. Thank goodness that I have identified that the ocean helps me heal and helps bring peace to my life.
My name is Craig. I live in the city of Boston in the United States. Thank you for reading.
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