Why You Should Go Camping

By Tim Fox / Camping Guide

Too many people limit their idea of camping to long hikes, tent setups, campfires and awkward conversations with strangers in the wild outdoors – but let us assure you that it is so much more than that.

We all live our day-to-day surrounded by the immense traffic of a relentlessly busy life. Smog, dust, and city lights cloud our vision of the stars at night; skyscrapers and busy streets prevent us from appreciating the beauty of nature.

The solution? A vast expanse of indigo sky watching over you, with stars serving as your rooftop for the night. Camping in the midst of such natural bliss gives us a needed reminder of the beauty of Mother Nature.

Sleeping outdoors provides the experience of a lifetime: a chance to detox from daily life and all the stresses that come with it.

Nature is the perfect antidote to calm your overwhelmed mind and escape the constant flow of challenging situations that life places in our path.

Camping is an ideal way to spend time with your family and friends, to escape the busy life of the city and instead bask in the quiet and fresh surroundings that nature has to offer.

Benefits like exercise and fresh air are easily recognized, but there are even more profound advantages to camping, like a long-term improvement in your mental and physical health.

The experiences, growth opportunities, and benefits of camping can even help you develop as an individual, so that you see the positive ripple effects in your personal and professional life.

What are the benefits of camping?

1- Socialization

Camping provides you time away from the daily hustle and bustle of life. It allows you to not only socialize but even deepen bonds with your close ones, far removed from any distractions from work.

The American Journal of Public Health states that socializing can delay memory problems and extend your lifespan.

2- Personality Development

Meeting new people at your campsite, chatting, and networking – a weekend of camping could take you a long way in life in terms of developing yourself as an individual.

According to research, talking to new people increases your level of confidence, which in turn helps you to develop your personality.

3- Enhances Problem Solving Skills

Have you ever had a rough day, but realized by the end of it that you had learnt and grown ten-fold compared to a typical day?

Experiencing life outside of your comfort zone improves your capacity to problem-solve. Even beyond the moment or problem at hand, such out-of-your-comfort-zone experiences build your skill-set for solving analytical and real-life problems too.

4- Disconnect from the Outside World

Camping is a great chance to unplug from your smartphones and laptops, and spend some time with your loved ones. Research shows that having good relationships and strong social ties can help you live longer, and it certainly ensures you a fuller life.

5- Personal Well-Being

To become a well-adjusted, successful individual, one needs to possess certain social skills for developing positive relationships with others.

Several studies have concluded that positive relationships are key to a person’s happiness and well-being, and good social skills influence positive relationships.

Hence, we can conclude that activities that promote meeting new people and developing interpersonal skills will both help you develop your own well-being and will benefit your personal life and professional career.

6- Connection with Nature

While camping, you have the opportunity to get close to nature and appreciate all the beauty on this earth and in the skies above it. There is nothing quite like it, and we highly recommend taking your family along for this experience of a lifetime.

7- New Challenges

Camping takes you out of your comfort zone, and it is a challenge both for the body and the mind.

Studies from the University of Texas and the University of Michigan show that new experiences help keep the brain healthy and one’s mental health strong.

New activities that are physically and mentally taxing help maintain the health and stamina of the brain, and camping fits both these criteria.

Apart from the general benefits discussed above, camping is highly beneficial specifically for your health as well. Let’s have a look at these health benefits, both physical and mental.

All photos from A Complete Camping Guide

Health Benefits of Camping

1- Fresh Air

The first step of any camping adventure? The tedious process of setting up a tent.

After all that hard work, you take a deep breath of clean, fresh oxygen that fills up your lungs: the feeling of the purest breath you have ever taken.

But it’s not just a feeling.

The high number of trees and low amount of pollution provide your surrounding air a high amount of oxygen.

Your brain functions better with these increased levels of oxygen and releases a chemical called serotonin, which makes you feel happy and releases stress-relieving hormones.

In addition to this, fresh air lowers blood pressure, improves digestion and boosts your immune system.

2- More Exercise

Camping involves a lot of physical activity in high range altitude.
Because of the difficult terrain and low pressure, the level of strain and stress our muscles go through is challenging and burns a lot of calories.

This is good for the body and activates your cardiovascular system. It is also beneficial to the health of your heart and lungs.

3- Sunshine and Vitamin D

Camping provides you a chance to spend extra time in the sun, and more exposure to the sun means increased Vitamin D. This allows your body to absorb calcium and phosphorous, which strengthens your bone health and teeth.

Sunshine can also regulate insulin levels and aid in diabetes management.Vitamin D also supports the health of your immune system, brain and nervous system.

4- Less Stress

Life can be incredibly overwhelming at times; do you ever feel the need to run away from your daily responsibilities and escape to the quiet? We all know this is not a viable way to live life, but camping provides a solution to catch your breath and  relax those stress levels for a while before having to get back to normal.

It is also extremely important to take a break from technology every so often. There is a strong possibility that you will not get any wi-fi or mobile network at your campsite, so while this may seem an impossible way to live, even your short stay will do wonders for your mental health.

5- Decreases Depression & Anxiety

According to research, natural greenery reduces depression levels by 71%. Therefore, camping is a great way to soothe anxiety issues. Being surrounded by a vast forest or meadow of green trees and plants will alleviate your mood, help you release current stress, and aid in avoiding depression in the future as well.

6-Good Food

While camping, you tend to eat different foods than at home. What you eat depends on what you pack (so pack items that are easy to cook, and avoid too much junk) – with one exception: fishing. If you are into fishing, you will likely consume a large amount of protein on your camping trip.

You will not intake any preservatives or unnatural ingredients in freshly caught fish, and all of the exercise from your outdoor activities will help you digest the food too.

7- Meditation

The Mayo Clinic reports that meditation may improve a series of serious medical conditions by increasing self-awareness and bringing a sense of calm to a person’s demeanor.

Also, the fresh environment that camping provides sets the tone for tranquility, making it an ideal setting in which to improve your concentration levels through meditation in such quiet and serene surroundings.

8-Sleep Better

Do you suffer from lack of sleep, or even a mild case of insomnia?

A study in 2013 by the University of Colorado found that camping can reset our biological clocks and help people with sleep issues improve their sleep cycle.

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