Words: Liz Fry
The idea of an adventure often has us conjuring up international travel ideas or even big road trips. But the healing magic also lies in mini- or even micro-adventures – opportunities to do something new or even the same action differently, break up our norm or change things up a bit.
To me, an adventure contains an element of the unknown, whether that be the outcome or part of the journey, and possibly a sprinkling of challenge in there too.
A couple of years ago, I was reflecting on two important threads in my life – adventures and being of service, wanting to make a difference. I felt there was a real connection between the two and started to look at the healing powers of adventures. What was it that a) I enjoyed, b) how did I benefit, and c) where did adventures fit in the healing journey?
Everyday adventures can help us to step outside of our comfort zone in a fun way. They can help us to face fears, reduce stress and be more present.
We gain a sense of accomplishment and are rewarded with a dopamine dose, helping us build more confidence and resilience.
What we learn through everyday adventures can be taken into everyday life, whether it be tools, evidence of what we are capable of, ways to problem solve, thinking outside the box, becoming more adaptable, creative, inspired…
Changing the game
One of my favourite benefits is that we have stories to tell. I had one conversation starter in the past – “I saw this thing on Facebook…!” That was it; I had nothing else to contribute to the conversation. Now, I love sharing tales and swapping notes with other everyday-adventuring souls.
Bringing more adventure into my life more has been a game-changer. I feel it’s always been there, but now it is happening far more often and more consciously a) because of the joy I experience and b) because of how beneficial I find it for my mental health. When adventures aren’t happening in my world and it looks a bit same-old, this isn’t good for me or my headspace.
Bringing this variety into the mix helps our world go from beige to having more colour, energy, experiences and vibrance.
Everyday adventures can truly meet us where we are at. It could be that finances, time constraints, anxiety levels, energy levels or something else have hindered us from taking big steps and big adventures in the past.
When we focus on the smaller opportunities in our every day, we can choose one that suits our budget or doesn’t cost a cent; we can have a micro-adventure that doesn’t take up much time or that feels doable when it comes to anxiety level, energy level or anything else we may have going on.
Through an adventurous mindset, we can bring adventures into our working day, whether it is driving a different way, listening to music rather than the radio, taking lunch outside rather than sitting at the desk, speaking to someone you don’t normally (unless there is a good reason not to – please note, these adventures are never about putting yourself in danger or at risk).
Baby steps
An adventure could be doing something on your way home from work rather than just driving straight home; you might decide to stop off and see a friend, go for a walk, take a breather at a favourite spot, or find a new favourite spot. It might be changing up what you wear to work, taking something random for your lunch, or ordering a different type of coffee from what you usually have.
There is always an unknown aspect about adventures, so you may decide to go back to your favourite coffee, or the random meal you took for lunch may not be practical for the workplace. Maybe you tried a new type of yoga, which wasn’t for you. That’s okay, you will have still reaped the benefits of being in a usually familiar situation and choosing something different. That is where the magic lies.
One of my biggest reasons to make adventures happen is how it helps us to reconnect with our ‘enoughness’. This isn’t about having adventures to prove myself but how they help our nervous system.
In my book, A heart that broke free, I share my findings from a 10-year journey of trying to connect back with my enoughness. One of the biggest pieces of the puzzle I found was that the feeling of not being enough lives in our body, and our nervous system is fully involved.
Becoming more in tune with my nervous system and what was going on, I found that by taking those steps out of my comfort zone, having adventures, or even doing the simplest of tasks a different way, I could exercise the nervous system like a muscle. When our feeling of not being enough is triggered, we can end up spiralling far away from where we want to be, far from those feelings of connection, safety, belonging and protection.
New connections
Through adventures and those steps outside our comfort zone, however small, it can help our nervous system to see that we can be outside of our safe space, but we have a way back. New pathways are formed. The power of smaller adventures is that we can collect this evidence many times a day.
These new pathways can help when we are facing tricky or tough situations, whether a trigger, a job interview or similar; our nervous system starts to see that it has other options; it can see the evidence and start to feel reassured that we have pathways to get ourselves back.
Some of this will be based on, “Well, I managed to climb that/finish that/step outside my comfort zone there, so I reckon I can do whatever the current task/challenge is.”
Others will be when we start to see just what lies on the other side of fear and how much we want that; when we begin to get glimpses or experiences of that, it helps us to take those steps of whatever size through the fear.
Five thoughts on bringing more everyday adventure into your world
- To plan or be spontaneous? Either or both! Having them in the diary can help ensure we make them happen and get that buzz of having something to look forward to. Being spontaneous can mean keeping adventures on the radar, making the most of opportunities, and getting that buzz of doing something different. Either way, setting morning intentions can help to keep them on the radar – how can I bring adventure into my day, what can I do differently today, how can I have fun?
- What are you reading, researching, listening to? Starting here can get some of the inspiration flowing and help the soul see that there is something afoot, something to look forward to. Why not brainstorm some ideas, either for you or maybe with an accountability adventure buddy or the family? Please know you’re not alone if you get stumped. You can download 100 ideas on my website liz-fry.com.
- What are your core values? Knowing these helps to create aligned adventures, which allows us to remain connected to our true selves.
- Reflecting – what have I learnt, what did I experience, is this part of me, do I want to do it again, would I do it differently next time? Celebrate the steps you’ve taken.
- We can be so quick to say, “No, thank you, that’s not my thing”, and whatever else, but maybe pause a moment and go, “Actually, am I just saying no because that’s what I have always done, or is this an opportunity I could say yes?”
The healing journey can be hard at times, but through everyday adventures I have found that parts of the journey can be fun and hold those beautiful feelings of joy, excitement, enoughness and healthy pride, too.
Building an adventurous mindset helps us start seeing more opportunities; sometimes, even the randomest of situations can lead to an adventure or be approached as an adventure. We can start saying yes to life, feel more confident and enough and experience all the benefits that adventures bring.
Liz Fry is a certified Life Coach and the founder of The Enoughness Project and author of ‘A heart that broke free.’ For more information about Liz visit her website.
