Adventure Anxiety

No matter where we are (country or city) our morning adventures follow the sun. More practically, our adventures follow daylight. In the Winter months we might not emerge until 7am. Sunrise is later and cold and inclement weather usually means our fellow adventure enthusiasts haven’t left their warm homes yet. In the Spring and Summer months, early sunrise means that we may leave home as early as 4:45am and be back by 6am. In May, the sweet spot for a country trail walk is 5:15am. I’m an operations executive in my heart – we’re a specific people. That specificity sometimes adds self-imposed anxiety to our everyday lives…and adventures.

The past few mornings we’ve been “late”. How can we be late to our own made-up schedule before most humans in our time zone are even awake? I decided that we HAD to be on the trail by a certain time or we wouldn’t finish our hike and be heading out again before the rest of the adventurers appear. I decided there was an arbitrary cut off when hiking was no longer feasible, and we had to go to the dog park. We also must leave the dog park by a certain time before it gets busy.

What in the world…? Why am I staring at the clock at this hour? Why am I short of breath before I even put my shoes on? Wasn’t this morning adventure habit supposed to be calming and freeing so my brain could embrace creativity? I’m not looking for more creative ways to be anxious!

This weekend I found myself spiraling and I had to sit myself down for a talk. It was gentle but pointed. Yes, I talk to myself aloud when I really need to internalize the message. The girls listen and usually agree.

It took 48 hours of intentional reframing but this morning our usual alarm rang, and we returned from adventure at 6:15am. I didn’t look at any clocks or my phone. Everything we did was right on time. And what we didn’t do was right on time too.

Training Tidbit: Usually, it’s the human who requires the training. The girls already knew what was needed but they had to wait for me to get back on track. I’m the driver after all. 

Enjoying calm in the Catskills region of NY. Yes, we travel with many sheets and dog towels…and calming chews. And the soulful puppy eyes — we have to bring those!

Adventure prompt: Keep It Simple

We’re going to use a rainy day to reinforce calm. Each girl will get a long-lasting chew after their midday bio walk and then – after 60-90 minutes of chewing – will likely pass out for a snooze.  Chewing, a safe and appropriate option, provides many benefits for your best friend:

·      Reduces stress

·      Stimulates their minds – preventing/reducing boredom and destructive behavior

·      Strengthens jaw muscles

·      Reduces anxiety – releases hormones often referred to as ‘feel-good’, like dopamine and serotonin

·      Promotes dental health – reducing plaque and tartar build up

The benefit for me is a few hours of focused work with just the gentle sounds of chewing and then snoring as background music. We’re not stressing about adventures anymore. We’re making them work for us, every day. See you out there!