Wellbeing Adventure

Over the weekend I went with family to an island in the Firth of Forth. We sailed for 30 minutes on a tour boat. None of us had been before so we were all looking forward to our adventure unsure of what it would bring. We sat up top on the boat and enjoyed the scenery as well as the lovely sea air as we sailed along.

The boat company gave us information about the various sights we were passing which was interesting and passed the time. Although, who would be bored of the beautiful views we were all experiencing?

When we arrived, we wandered around the island, looking at the ruins of the Abbey, learning about it’s past. We watched the birds, flying overhead, bobbing in the water or sitting on the ground. They were mainly seagulls and kittiwakes.

We had around 2 hours to enjoy the island before the boat arrived to pick us up and take us back to the mainland. As we were on the island around lunchtime, we took a picnic. We kept our food close so as not to lose it to the seagulls.

As well as being a place of beauty it held a lot of history from the 12th century through to the world wars. A lot had happened there and we were privileged to be allowed on it (along with the other tourists).

I noticed when we were back on the mainland, how happy we all were. We had a wonderful day and although the island wasn’t magic, it had truly given us a magical experience. We felt tired but refreshed at the same time. The weather had been surprisingly nice despite being blustery, there was really nothing we could fault.

From our 3-4 hours of an adventure, I realised there were many parts to my day that had been good for my wellbeing and this isn’t something we tend to think about. These are listed below:

• Fresh air – being outdoors is fantastic for your wellbeing. It is great for boosting your mood, reducing anxiety, helping you sleep (we all were sleeping early and had a good nights rest after our adventure). You get a good dose of Vitamin D and it can help improve your concentration levels. All that from being outdoors!
• Good people – it’s always great to spend time with those that bring light to your life and make you smile. We like to share experiences and being in good company whether friends or family can make a difference to your day. In years to come, we can look back at the photos and reminisce over the fun times we had on our adventure.
• New sites – there is always somewhere to explore. Sometimes it is on our doorstep and often it is further afield. But getting out there and seeing what the world/your local area has to offer can really surprise you. Try and do something off the beaten track where tourists perhaps don’t usually go. It’s fun looking around and coming across unusual activities that gets you out exploring.
• Great weather – makes a great day even better. Whilst we cannot control the weather, we can control how we feel about it. When the sunshine’s we tend to feel uplifted. It really gives your mood a boost. But being outdoors in any weather can be a good experience, breathe in that fresh air and enjoy being alive on a wonderful planet with ever changing weather.
• Exploring ruins – life happened for millions of years before we came along, coming across 12th century ruins of an Abbey in a pretty good state is unbelievable. Trying to think about the people who were there at the time is truly mind blowing. The life of no electricity, cold and unforgiving weather, how the heck did people survive? Trying to understand the story behind the ruins and wishing you could get a glimpse into this life, would be fascinating. Coming across historic places always makes me thankful for the era I am living in.
• Birds – watching birds making themselves a home on the island, watching as they thrive and go about there day. I love nature and birds no matter how loud or annoying seagulls can be seeing them in a natural habitat (away from bins in the town) makes me smile. I could sit and watch birds all day.
• Greenery – plants, trees, bushes and flowers even the grass is good to see which you are out and about. We spend so much time hidden in a concrete world that looking outside or immersing ourselves in greenery is positive. And as above, being in nature gives your wellbeing a good boost.
• Sea – it is wild and uncontrollable, it can be calm one minute and stormy the next. The sea is its own force. Listening to waves or watching the rhythmic timing as it hits the shore or rocks, is quite therapeutic. Watching the birds and seals doing there thing in the water can be quite calming and draws you in to their world.

The next time you go out on a day trip or have an adventure, reflect on the parts of your day which positively affected your mental wellbeing. As you can see from the above, most of this was nature. It is truly amazing what we have on this planet. We have a rich source of nature which we often take for granted or don’t think about. Give some thought to your daily life, think about what you see or do that is naturally occurring giving your mental wellbeing a boost. You will likely be surprised.

Have a lovely week. Take care and look after you.

Love Emma xx