Primal Camping & Mental Health

This last weekend I tagged along with my three sons, my husband and our hound dog Bella on a camp out. 

I knew it was going to be quote on quote “adventure”, and it sure was. But I found something else out about myself that was so interesting. 

Camping is such a primal experience. You are without the basic necessities. You don’t have access to sufficient shelter, you have to hunt or carry in your own food and prepare it over an open fire, and you don’t have access to sanitary bathroom facilities. 

Why do we do this? Okay thats a blog for another day. I do love camping but this idea of not having our basic needs met brings out interesting things in ourselves. 

I found myself irritable, agitated, and focused on finding warmth, food and a way home. 

We go into survival mode. 

Focused on getting what we need to survive. We are designed this way. This concept has kept our human race alive for thousands of years. It’s essential to our existence. 

I couldn’t help but think about how we see this pattern in our lives. 

When our basic needs in life aren’t met we are unable to care for other people. 

When we first enter into the world of our own family we change this belief. We had our parents be the main watcher of our basic needs. 

Our parents would look over us and make sure we had food, shelter, and access to all our necessities in life. 

When we get married there is a switch. I started putting my attention on my husband. I wanted to make sure he had food, shelter, and everything else. But lacked looking after my own needs. 

When I had my first kid…. Even more… 

My second… you guessed it. 

And my third…. Forget about it. 

I made sure my children had food, I made sure my children were warm, cared for and looked over. 

But me? 

I was struggling to feed myself, dress myself, keep a hygiene regime and let myself get adequate rest. 

I became irritable, agitated and overwhelmed. 

When we don’t meet our basic primal needs as a human, we can’t show up to our family, our husband and to ourself as the loving, real, authentic self. 

This cannot come to be until we learn truths about ourself. What do YOU need to thrive in your life? What needs aren’t met that need your attention? 

I like to imagine the 4 year old version of myself at my feet, pulling on my pant leg, saying “Hey, I need this…” Do we ignore that little self? Or do we come down to her at our level and look her in the eye and say, “Hey, what’s going on hunny, let’s take care of you.” 

Slow down, take the time to listen to yourself enough to hear your truth and give yourself what you need. Stop waiting around for other people to fill your holes. 

YOU can meet your own needs. When you learn this, do this you empower yourself enough to stop sitting and waiting, stop blaming others and become the best version of yourself. Centered, complete, and full of love and compassion for yourself so you can show up to your husband, your family as the greatest version of yourself.