Clear Your Mind: 4 Reasons Car Camping Can Improve Your Mental Health

It’s called “The Great Outdoors” for a reason! There’s nothing like spending some quality time outside with nature. Many people reach a heightened level of consciousness when they’re able to explore the wilderness for prolonged periods of time.

 

[ image: freepik by pch.vector ]

Many others didn’t have the advantage of being raised by avid campers and are discovering the benefits of outdoor activity later in their adulthood. Both approaches are great for your mental health. In fact, here’s 4 reasons why car camping can seriously improve your mental health. 

Unplug (While Keeping Plugs Close)

These days, we’re pretty reliant on our electronics. It’s hard to deny. In fact, it can feel like your cellphone is a third hand. They act as security blankets-- providing connection and information at any second of any day. 

While this is a wonderful advantage in the long haul, it becomes daunting pretty quickly. Social media can consume you for hours with no clear way out. Camping in your car allows you the benefits of chargers for your devices, so you don’t go through total withdrawals. But, you’re still camping, so you’re more focused on the memories you’re making than your social media timeline. 

Additionally, your car likely has cooling and heating systems that would not be available in a regular tent. You’ll also have electric plugs that you can use to blow up your car camping air mattress which makes things much easier. 

So, you can have these comforts that you are used to without sacrificing your outdoor adventures.

Get Into Minimalism

Similarly, our everyday life is pretty chaotic. We have so much stuff to manage, whether that be physical objects or our emotional to-do list. Camping from your car forces you to become a minimalist for the weekend. 

From your car, you’ll be able to carry just what you need. This can be an incredibly refreshing step away from daily life. You’ll feel refreshed after decluttering your life and mind for a weekend outdoors. 

Increase Your Attention Span

With the amount of time we spend indoors, our attention span drastically decreases. We’re constantly being stimulated by many different kinds of media and entertainment. I even have music playing in the background as I write this article. 

When you spend more time outdoors, you’re forced to use parts of your brain that are usually dormant. Exploring new methods of problem-solving often translates to daily life when you return from your car camping trip, too. 

You may not be starting campfires or pitching a car tent at the office, but your teamwork skills will drastically improve when put in these situations. 

Bond With Your Loved Ones

Similarly, the people you camp with will impact the outcome of your trip. If you’re camping with your friends, you could experience adventures that are impossible to recreate. These moments create lasting bonds between people that can’t be broken. 

Intimate settings like camping expose you to new versions of your loved ones that you wouldn’t have seen otherwise. You learn to understand your coping mechanisms and stress reactions better during less common but possible difficult situations. 

Camping with people that you trust and love allows you to bond by literal forces of nature. Plus, having deep discussions by a campfire is one of the most memorable ways that you can truly talk to someone! 

When you take your first car camping trip, you’re making room for mental clarity. Any time spent outdoors is helpful for your mental health. You’re able to release endorphins through exciting outdoor activity, and return to your car to meditate under the stars at night. 

Car camping is a great way to balance the comforts of your home while mostly focusing on the benefits of being outdoors.