WHY ADVENTURE IS GREAT FOR OUR MENTAL HEALTH

Between lockdowns and travel restrictions, most of us have had little opportunity for real, uninhibited adventure out in the wilderness lately.

While staying home was often necessary during the pandemic, the absence of boots-in-the-mud adventure hasn’t just made life dull, it may have impacted our wellbeing too – according to Belinda Kirk.

“When you’re halfway up a mountain, you get this natural high and a feeling of extreme empowerment,” says Kirk – an explorer who, over the past 25 years, has led numerous personal expeditions, youth development treks, biological research missions, and remote filming trips for the BBC.

Her appetite for adventure has taken her across the remote desert of Nicaragua on foot, on the search for camels in China’s ‘Sea of Death’ desert, uncovering ancient rock paintings in Lesotho, and she’s even nabbed a Guinness World Record for rowing unsupported around Britain.

Now she’s swapped deathdefying feats for deadlines and has written a book – Adventure Revolution – which delves into how exploration is essential to human wellbeing, helping us face our deepest fears, manage anxiety and find self-worth.

So why is it that adventure feels so good, on a basic, human level? “It’s just a natural fit. All the research I packed into the book backed up my initial assumptions about adventure and how [humans] are hardwired to do it.”

Then there’s the element of being out in nature. One study by University of East Anglia found that exposure to green space can reduce blood pressure, and another in the journal Frontiers in Psychology found just 20 minutes of immersion in nature can help us feel less stressed.

Of course, adventure travel and exploring the world have traditionally been expensive endeavours. While we may associate the term with trekking up the Andes or swimming with sharks in the Maldives, adventure doesn’t have to mean big costs though, and there are ways to enjoy the benefits on a tight budget.

Camping in the garden, going wild swimming in a safe spot nearby, climbing a tree and even just embracing bad weather and getting out for a local hike are a few accessible ways to invite adventure into our lives, says Kirk. Taking parkour lessons, she says, is another great way to be adventurous in a city.

“When we get out and make time for adventure, we’re reminded of how good it feels,” says Kirk. “I think people are realising that after lockdown – you don’t notice the absence, until you get a little taste of it again and then you think: ‘Ah, this is really what I need’.”