Unplug Your Brain: The Mental Wellness Benefits of Car Camping
Life is stressful.
Even with the luxuries afforded by technology making life easier in many obvious ways, the push and pull of always being connected means more is expected of us. It’s hard to relax and focus on what’s in front of us.
That’s why it’s important to go out of our way to disconnect and unplug. While there are many ways of doing that, we wanted to talk a little bit about car camping and some of the benefits that come from this fairly specific type of getaway that can help to unplug and destress the mind.
Getting Back to Basics
Yes, your king size, memory foam mattress with that extremely comfortable mattress topper and high thread count sheet set is absurdly comfortable. While obviously not everyone has a luxury sleeping situation it’s likely safe to assume that sleeping at home in bed is usually more comfortable than sleeping in a car.
But sometimes it’s good to get away from all of the creature comforts of your home and “rough it” a little bit! It might be time to get out and enjoy nature, hearing different sounds, smelling new smells, etc. These experiences can have a surprisingly refreshing effect.
No Money for a trip?
Car camping is cheap! No hotel to worry about, no restaurants, tourist attractions. As far as getting out of town goes, there’s really no cheaper way of doing it.
For a lot of people, money is one of the most stressful things and going on vacation usually puts a bit of a dent on one's finances. While you may need to spend a bit of cash on a quality air mattress for your car or SUV, it’s a one time expense and should only set you back the cost of less than one night at a hotel.
Getting out of town in your car and also not spending a lot of money places two checks firmly in the stress-reduction column.
Absolute Freedom of Location
Remaining socially distant during the COVID pandemic is essential. Car camping gives you the freedom to stay distanced from others while still seeing new places. Sleeping in your car, truck or SUV is the height of freedom. If you don’t like where you are, just flip on the engine and go somewhere else. You’ll just need to do some research into what type of places it’s legal for you to set up camp in your area.
There’s something liberating about having a mobile bed...the sense that you’re not stuck where you are and the knowledge that your entire environment can change on a whim.
You can get to the most remote locations, especially if you do have a truck or SUV, making it easy to drive to a field, public campsite, by a river, a national park, etc.
Some Much Needed Alone Time
We’re always being pulled in a dozen directions and, even when we’re alone, we’re sometimes not really alone. We have podcasts, phone notifications, roommates, phone calls, video games and strangers we pass by in public places to distract us.
Assuming the right state of mind, there’s something very solitary and fulfilling about simply being in your car in a field in the middle of nowhere.
It’s the perfect time and place to work on yourself - to think about the things you’re dealing with, the different pain points in life and decide, without interruption, how to deal with them. It’s also the perfect situation to practice mindfulness, a strategy that has been shown to be incredibly effective in improving one’s physical and mental state.
An Excuse To Disconnect
Sometimes we just need to disconnect. Get away from our phones, texting, work messages, WhatsApp, email, etc.
You could conceivably go car camping and spend the whole time on your phone, assuming you have service, so you’ll want to make sure you turn on airplane mode or just turn it off completely.
Not staring at a screen for a night lets you concentrate on what’s around you and be present in the moment. It’s also good to give the eyes a break from that harsh light.
In Summary
Car camping is different, it could be a bit scary and lonely, and will likely take you out of your comfort zone if you haven’t done it before, but it can help to hit the reset button on your brain.
This is a sponsored post. Please note that JUGS only accepts sponsorships from mission-aligned brands that meet our core values of compassion + fulfillment.