Facing my fears with a picnic basket
- 2016-08-08
- 2 min. skaitymo
Last Wednesday we went to Nuuksio National Park, one of those beautiful places to hike, camp or just enjoy the nature for a couple of hours here in Finland. It was just a short day trip, but it was long enough to realize how much I've changed in a couple of years. I owe it partly to my studies.
Studies in Finland wasn't my primary reason to come here, however, it was one of them. I study Business Economics of Forestry. I'm not really sure how I ended up studying this and I don't know what got into me when I filled out that application because back in Lithuania I didn't even go to forests. A stroll in the nature used to be probably on top of the list of most stressful things to do. I have so many fears, soooo many... from spiders to gaps between the bed and the wall.. Yes, gaps. I know. Forests are like these massive areas full of spiders, ticks, bugs, snakes, holes, spiders, and more spiders.
But here I am now... All brave, standing on soft moss in a forest. Even though the only thing I can see is millions of spiders and ants swarming on the ground next to me, I am at a freaking forest, walking there without having a massive panic attack, without crying from fear (yeah, that used to happen).
I was even brave enough to sit down and have a little picnic during our trip. We shared our food with ants and bees, and it was lovely.
Because of my studies, I was kind of forced to go to the forest and me being me I couldn't show to other students and teachers that I am freaking out. When I got back home from my first field trip, I was telling my fiance how proud I am of myself because I survived the forest trip, I even walked through the bushes! It was an exciting moment for me and probably the breaking point. I started going to forests here more often, and it helped me change my perspective: rather than trying to spot every insect on the ground, I started seeing the beauty of nature and taking pictures of it. Focusing on the photos rather than all the creepy stuff is my kind of therapy and I always try to have some sort of a camera with me just in case.
Oh, and by the way, during that lovely hike last week, I also picked my first mushrooms ever! I know, I'm getting out of control! There is no stopping me now!
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