Mental Health and road time questions.

[Lizmccal]

Just wondering what has living the nomadic life done to/for your mental health? Does it change after the longer you’ve been on the road?
Thanks.

 

[jacqueg]

Best thing I've ever done for myself. All that busy-busy-busy get this done NOW stuff has fallen away.

 

[Tony's Dream]

I'm not full time, but when I am on the road for a couple of weeks.......its such a restful, peaceful feeling. When I am at home I am always watching the clock....even when I have nothing to do. When we used to take vacations, we were always in a rush to get to make our hotel reservations or being on time when a theme park opened. It was exhausting! On the road....it's just me and world and I take it at my pace. Waking up in the morning to the sounds of nature is so satisfying.

 

[wayne49]

Same here. I was emotionally worn out from the last few years of working.

When I retired, It wasn't an immediate improvement, it took a couple of years of limited camping to ease up on myself.

Dispersed camping getting away from the RV park, and out into solitude, whether in mountains, deserts, forests, was good medicine. As John Muir said "it's going home."

At present, I'm not a full time dispersed camper. It's a security blanket to know that I have a place to call home when stuff like forest fires, weather, etc. occur. But that situation could change negatively, and I'm thinking more of going full time when, and if, that happens.

 

[StacyK]

I’m usually a pretty even-keeled person, and I was startled not to be that way my first few months on the road. I went to greater extremes of joy, wonder, fear, despair, and frustration. I considered it part of the learning curve, and things evened out after about a year. I’m pretty even-keeled again and more contented than I was in a fixed dwelling.

I also am usually really good at being alone, but I still find that after I’ve been dispersed camping on my own for about two months, I need fellow humans around for a while for a reality check.

 

[maki2]

My mental health was fine before I left and is still just fine after 3 years.

It is perfectly normal to enjoy a combination of solo camping time interspersed with time camping with others. It is also normal to always camp with friends or always camp solo. There is no rule book about this stuff. People often get confused and think there is some standard they HAVE to live up to. There is not. Give yourself permission to be happy.