I went camping by myself for the first time since I was in my 20’s. I wanted to get back to my roots with camping. Center myself in nature without social distractions. It also came from a friend requesting I not bring my dog and I thought, ” I would rather go camping with my dog”, and so I wanted to test that theory. Turns out I really do like camping with just my dog. I got to do exactly what I wanted to do. Well not really. The dog decided the hiking trail had something scary and made me turn around and we went another way. Plus the dog does change where I can go.

There are always compromises that we make when we interact with each other. With my dog it is based on where a dog can go and what his anxieties will allow us do. When I go camping with my nieces there are the dynamics between what kids want to do and managing tantrums. It is the same when we interact with family and friends who all may have different values from each other. Finding the balance in between each other discomforts. In my experience as long as we are all looking for the balance and respect each other then it will be a good experience. And I am sure like me you may have experienced when you feel like you are making all the compromises and may not feel valued.

There is a discomfort in that feeling. It requires us to set boundaries and talk about how we are feeling. For me I like to step back with time to myself and really evaluate how I am feeling. Am I being triggered and how can I work on those feelings? Do I need to pull away from a relationship for my mental health. All of those things I was exploring when I went camping by myself.

It remind minds me of the Camino de Santiago experience . I was uncomfortable physically as we were walking 15 miles each day. This forced me to dive deep into my inner self. When I go camping there can be the physical discomfort of laying on the ground, cooking with a campfire, and going on adventures. When we allow ourselves to explore these feelings we can learn truths about ourselves. We can grow and expand our awareness. If you never allow yourself to feel discomfort then we never evolve. We will experience the same triggers and then numb those feeling with alcohol, food, shopping, drugs, etc.

We also have the physical discomfort of sleeping on the ground. Remember when we were young and we could fall asleep on the ground no problem. Now we have aches and pains. Those aches and pains are check engine lights letting you know something is going on. I always say if we needed a memory foam mattress to sleep we would have gone extinct a long time ago. Those are a sign you need a massage!!!

To come full circle I loved the discomforts of my trip with just me and my dog. I limited phone time and brought a book to read. I took naps after morning adventures. It left me a lot of free time to just think. Next time I need to bring a journal. And yes I said next time because I am making it a priority to camp by myself once a year. During this time I also re-found value in camping with friends and family. Understanding the importance of the discomfort of bouncing against everyone’s values and boundaries. It also gave me clarity why I like staying home so much. I created a peaceful from that gives me a break from the discomforts of the world.