Injury and illness can easily stop us in our tracks and make it more difficult to enjoy the outdoors. When I was growing up, I was an active child who loved exploring the forest. I had my fair share of bruises, cuts, and even broken bones but I could still enjoy nature with the minor bumps.
When I joined the military in 2010, I thought my active lifestyle would just improve by the amount of exercise I was getting. But my health and military career were derailed by a serious injury that took years to recover from. When I was able to be more active, I started focusing on hiking. I was able to take things slow at my own pace and enjoy nature with my late-Beagle, Oliver. That time in the woods with Oliver helped me heal both physically and mentally.
Then the unthinkable happened – I experienced a fall that resulted in a brain injury. The first few weeks, I thought it was a normal concussion that would resolve as my other injuries had. This was my third concussion and I expected it to heal, just like the last two. However, the symptoms seemed to get worse rather than better. It was scary!
My road to recovery has been long and looks differently than my past injuries. This time, I really wanted to focus on still getting those important doses of nature in my day. Check out “Ways to Enjoy Nature During Your Injury Recovery” to learn how I accomplished it!