Bamboozled by modern times - GO CAMPING!

We are all inundated with talk of drought, changing climates, tougher times ahead.

How are you feeling about all that? Are you coping with all that is being asked of us? Are you feeling overwhelmed and confused? Tired and exhausted? Is the worry of it all getting you down?

What can you do to get back that feeling of control, understanding, and time?

Go camping I say!

Our lives have become incredibly superficial. Everything has been at our beck and call for quite a while now – that impact is now being felt all around us as we reach ‘peak human’.

There are so many of us now wanting the same thing all over the world.

We are pushed, in most media, to get in quick for a bargain, to spend, spend, spend on new things.

But is it a bargain? Can it be repaired, can it be recycled, does it keep it’s value, is it made ethically, is it made sustainably, where was it made, will it actually last beyond the guarantee?

Most of what we are offered in advertisements is not, and perhaps more to the point is not what we really need, and it’s having a terrible impact on the planet as we all follow the beat.

People and communities are starting to really take action and change, but many are still stuck in the funk of the issues of our time.

I can relate! The latest news, science and political updates are pretty overwhelming.

Camping is my solution for you, one way I would encourage you to get back a feeling of strength and clarity. And a sitting around a winter campfire is the best.

When was the last time you actually felt the dirt on your feet, stopped washing yourself every day, ate what was only available in an esky? When was the last time you had to ration out the water you used? When was the last time you stopped using a phone to check everything, watched a sunrise not an update, had to go to bed because it was dark?

There’s something wonderful about a meal cooked outside on an open flame, a billy of tea, the full elemental embrace of dirt, sand, birdsong, fresh or ocean water. Sleep is usually so much better too.

Try and choose a place with no mobile phone reception, that’s going to help a lot! And be prepared to have a moment, or two, of feeling angry, pissed off or grumpy as you come back down from that distracted mindset you’ve been living in for ages now. Take a walk or a plunge in the sea when that happens….you’ll soon get over it.

Sure, I encourage you to take action, get involved, start taking responsibility for what our future children may inherit, but that future may seem so overwhelming and the fears of ‘what if’ can sometimes hold us back.

Camping can really help us to reconnect to what we really can live without, and still feel ok! If camping doesn’t suit you, try a cabin without mod cons or try a farm stay opportunity that lets you experience where your food actually comes from.

Most people on the land have to live within their means consistently. Learning how to do that is definitely an asset for the coming times ahead.

Connecting back to what really matters is the first step, happy camping!

Where are some spots you escape to in order to reconnect and take a breath? Share your advice below.

Kathleen McCann is a permaculturalist, artist, good chick, number 1 worker at Luscious Landscapes.