Mental Health Walk - Blog Posts

Park Lake- mhw #2

Previously I said I was going to the canyon for my next big walk, but my vehicle and state of mind both said no, so I took a trip to a nearby regional park.

I love how cheap entry is and it’s a park that holds a lot of memories for me as I used to participate in a summer day camp as a kid that would take place there. My scout days are far behind me now.

One of the many bird residents of the park. The Canadian Geese of course are the most abundant and the loudest. I was hesitant eating my lunch near them.

Ordinarily I would take two loops around, but this time I went once around the lake and then sat at some of the many benches for a while.

I didn’t have my headphones with me so my mind uncomfortably ruminated during a majority of the walk. So I mostly just tried to focus on all the chatter of the ducks and geese who were yelling at each other about who knows what.

It’s also pleasant to see people fishing and having fun together. I have a complicated relationship with the activity of fishing but if I were to ever have access to my old gear, perhaps I’d take it up again. But I was here to walk, not fish.

Lake and bench.

If you ever get a chance to just stop by a lake, I recommend taking the time to birdwatch. Last time I was at the lake, I watched a goose get into a fight with a squirrel who was trying to steal bread from one of her babies. It was a very heated battle.

Even if I still feel uncertain if any of my mental health was repaired from this walk, I’m just grateful for the fact that I could see some pretty nature and got in about an hour of exercise. Something I learned from therapy is that recording what you are grateful for can also help you feel better.

And thus, I am grateful for the memories this park has given me, the geese, the other wildlife, the shimmers of the lake, the friendly fisherman, the cheap entry tickets, and the many park benches/shelter stations.

Whoops been too depressed and tired to take a walk

Rain Walk- mhw #1

I have decided to document a series where I chronicle the walks I take for my mental health. Let us begin for this past Saturday when it was raining.

View from near by neighborhood. Blurred for cool effects and to make the pretty lights stand out.

Who doesn’t love a good walk in the rain? This was purely spur of the moment but something in me was just telling me that I NEEDED to be out in that rain walking around. Especially since it was starting to slow down.

It’s been rough ngl. Also the feeling of the rain sprinkling in your skin is 20/10. Another 20/10 is walking in the rain while ALSO listening to a liminal space playlist. I highly recommend it.Also the fog starting to drop in was another 20/10.

The rain in a way can feel like a liminal space because of how empty the roads can be. Liminal spaces are shown to be rather lonely which was sort of the case on my walk. Just occasional car would pass by. Now I’m thinking about liminal rooms with a rain landscapes. That sounds cool.

I started to notice on my walk there are only specific types of people that really take walks on the rain:

Big Dog Walkers

Smokers

The Mentally Ill Like Me

The Occasional Avid Elderly Walker

Of course they all make perfect sense for different reasons, but if there’s anyone I’d prefer the pass it’s the smoker as they always have a unique sense of style. The smoker I passed had a striped shirt and green hair. Kinda like that one Danganronpa character whose name I can’t remember.

And another great thing about walks in the rain is you’ll find little friends on the sidewalk as pictured below:

Pictured are Mx. Snail and the Earthworm. Couldn’t find the earthworm on my second loop around so I hope they’re okay. The Snail went to hide in their shell and I respect that. Some people are just camera shy and you can’t change that.

Well, that’s all I have left to say on the matter. I’ll probably take another walk tomorrow, been wanting to explore this canyon.

Allow me to provide a song recc from my playlist. Lemme know if you have any you’d like to give me for my playlist!