Adventure
Untitled Document Adventure
Reach for Your Outer Limits
For her summer vacation, Anne Bancroft went to Antarctica, where a balmy day is about 23°F. Then she and three other women spent 67 days pulling 200-pound sleds for 660 miles into headwinds up to 50 miles per hour to reach the South Pole.
Why?
"A trip like this rejuvenates you," says Bancroft, a 38-year-old motivational speaker and polar explorer from St. Paul, Minnesota, who was the first woman to trek across the ice to both poles. "You're in the best shape of your life and there's something wonderful about that. You get the feeling when you get back home and get back into the craziness of life that you're going to live a lot longer because you did have an adventure like that. It makes you feel strong and good."
No, you don't have to cross miles of barren ice like Bancroft did to feel younger, but doctors do say that if you're truly looking for a Fountain of Youth, try tossing more adventure into your life.
"Absolutely, adventure and risk taking can make you feel and think like a person who is years younger. It's believed that when you do thrill-seeking adventures, there's a release of certain chemicals in the brain that are truly uplifting to mood," says Bernard Vittone, M.D., a psychiatrist and director of the National Center for the Treatment of Phobias, Anxiety and Depression in Washington, D.C.
But other experts suspect that adventure does more than just jump-start your emotions.
"Any time you are re-energized in a vibrant way as through an adventure, there are very positive physiological effects, including increased blood and oxygen flow to the tissues in your body. That, along with the emotional effects of rediscovering your life's energy, can make some people literally look younger," says Mark Weaver, Ph.D., a psychologist with the Experiential Learning Institute in Oklahoma City.
Learn, Grow and Feel Younger
Remember the mixture of anxiety and absolute exhilaration the first time you rode a bicycle, plunged into the deep end of the neighborhood pool or went to summer camp? It's that awe of overcoming your own natural fear of the unknown that makes adventure such a vital part of learning, growing and keeping yourself feeling young, Dr. Weaver says.
"The importance of adventure isn't so much that you climbed a mountain, rafted on an unfamiliar river or even started your own small business. The key point is to achieve something new and to discover how you can reach beyond your comfort zone and stretch yourself as a human being," Dr. Weaver says. "If you don't stretch yourself, you'll spend a lifetime trapped within the conventions of how you're used to living your life."
So why do some women feel the urge to explore the Amazon rain forest while others spend their evenings clipping coupons? Some adventurousness is learned from your parents. "If you have parents who are always amplifying the danger of a situation, you'll learn to view situations as more threatening," Dr. Vittone says. "On the other hand, if you have parents who encourage adventure, you're going to develop a higher threshold of excitement."
But biology plays a role, too. "We all react differently to different types of stimulation," Dr. Vittone says. "There are certain anxiety centers in the brain that are tripped off more easily in some people than in others. So everyone has their own threshold of adventure or risk-taking behavior that they feel comfortable doing."
As we age, these anxiety centers in our brains become more sensitive, and we gradually lose our ability to distinguish between the negative sort of anxiety that is associated with work, stress and tension and the more positive types of anxiety that are a natural and exciting part of experiencing something new, Dr. Vittone says. As a result, we become more fearful and begin avoiding anxiety-producing situations, including relatively safe activities such as hiking.
"The problem is that people start viewing all those feelings of anxiety in the same negative way, instead of realizing that some anxiety can be positive," Dr. Vittone says. "It's that lumping of those positive and negative feelings together that makes people gravitate toward wanting to feel safe and comfortable all the time." It's why some women are content to sit back and let their kids (or their husbands) have all the fun.
Consequences of Playing It Safe
Unfortunately, that overwhelming desire for safety and comfort causes many of us to develop what some experts call stagnant spirits.
"Trying to escape risk is like trying to escape living. You really can't grow as a person without some sense of adventure in your life," says Jasper S. Hunt, Jr., Ph.D., professor of experiential education and leadership studies, director of adventure education programs in the Department of Educational Leadership at Mankato State University in Mankato, Minnesota, and a leader of wilderness-survival outings for Outward Bound, an adventure-travel club. "So either you live adventurously or you die emotionally. The choice is yours."
Fortunately, you don't have to climb Mount Everest, become a mud wrestler or take up hang gliding to get adventure into your life.
"Since we're all different, there's going to be a range of adventures that people are going to find thrilling," Dr. Vittone says. "For some people, just driving to a new town and exploring may do it. For others, it may take parachuting. Even a change in your routine can be an adventure. Finding a new way home from work or going to a different health spa could do it. Whatever you do, it's that feeling of a thrill that you're looking for."
Here are some ways to get more thrills into your day.
Let your mind wander. "Every adventure starts with curiosity," says Andrea Shrednick, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in private practice in Los Angeles. "Allow your mind to wander free. Imagine if you had a week all to yourself. Where would you go? What would you do? What would it look like? What would it smell like? What types of foods would you eat? If you allow yourself to daydream like that, it will whet your appetite for the real thing."
Know your limits. Take an honest look at your skills and abilities and see if they realistically match up with the adventure you have in mind. "A person who doesn't take a careful inventory of their skills and capabilities is a fool," Dr. Hunt says. "That's being reckless, and recklessness is not virtuous."
Be prepared. "Every adventure, no matter how small, is a step-by-step process," Bancroft says. "We always know what we're facing before we get started on an expedition. You can't control Mother Nature, but before you start you can test your gear, get yourself in shape and do all the other things that make your chances of a successful trip far greater."
Take small steps. Keep your adventures simple at first, then gradually increase the difficulty as your competence and confidence grow. If you want to learn to climb, for example, join your local hiking club and build up your expertise before deciding to tackle Mount McKinley, Dr. Hunt says.
Winning isn't the only thing. Don't push yourself into a dangerous situation. You're only asking for trouble that way. "If you look at mountaineers, the ones who are still alive to tell about their adventures don't try to conquer the mountain at all costs. They do their homework and know when it's unsafe and time to back off. That's a good lesson for all of us to learn," Bancroft says.
Share your dreams. "If you're facing a scary challenge, tell someone about it," Bancroft advises. "I don't think any of us are very successful strictly by ourselves. We all need pats on the back and encouragement from others to fulfill our dreams."
Have some laughs. "For me, the best tool in my bag of tricks for getting through hard struggles is not taking myself too seriously," Bancroft says. "I don't think I could do any of this without a sense of humor. You tend to lose sight of the purpose of the adventure if you don't have fun."
How Do You Define Risk?
Do you still enjoy rock concerts? If you held a sales job, would you want to be paid on commission or on a straight salary? Do you get bored easily, or is routine salve to your soul? Answer these and the other questions in this quiz to help determine what kind of risk taker you are. There are no right or wrong answers. Circle only one number per question. Answer all questions. If no answer feels exactly right to you, pick the one that's closest. To determine your score, total all numbers circled and see the scoring key at the end of the quiz. 1. During the past ten years, how often have you changed residence? 1. 10 times or more 2. 5 to 9 times 3. 2 to 4 times 4. 0 to 1 time
2. Which adjective best describes your behavior before age 12? 1. hyperactive 2. mischievous 3. basically well behaved 4. very well behaved 3. In the average week, how many hours of television do you watch? 1. 0 to 5 hours 2. 6 to 10 hours 3. 11 to 20 hours 4. more than 20 hours 4. How often do you tape shut already-sealed envelopes before mailing them? 1. almost never 2. seldom 3. often 4. regularly 5. For a sales job, how would you prefer to be paid? 1. straight commission 2. mostly commission with a substantial draw 3. a substantial draw with some commission 4. straight salary 6. In highway driving, how often do you drive faster than 65 miles per hour? 1. regularly 2. often 3. seldom 4. almost never 7. If you were living on the East Coast a century ago, do you think you would have joined a wagon train headed west? 1. definitely 2. probably 3. probably not 4. definitely not 8. Suppose you had equal competence at any one of the following activities. Which would appeal to you most? 1. skydiving 2. mountain climbing 3. producing a play 4. building a house 9. Which opportunity sounds more appealing to you? 1. starting your own business 2. purchasing a successful business 10. Which statement describes you better? 1. I get bored easily. 2. When necessary, I can tolerate routine. 11. What kinds of risks would you say are the hardest for you to take? 1. commitment risks (long-term involvement with a person, activity or career) 2. emotional risks (in relationships or showing my feelings) 3. financial risks (of losing money) 4. physical risks (of life and limb) Assume that you are equally capable of all of the activities listed below. For each set, pick the one that you would most enjoy. (If neither activity appeals to you, pick the one that's least unappealing.) 12. 1. driving a dune buggy 2. hiking in the desert 13. 1. skiing down a steep slope 2. ski touring through woods 14. 1. scuba diving 2. snorkeling Circle the number of the word that best describes your reaction to the following activities. 15. Building a cabinet 1. tedious 2. satisfying 16. Climbing rocks 1. exhilarating 2. scary 17. Attending a rock concert 1. arousing 2. jarring 18. Teaching school 1. boring 2. challenging 19. With a report due at work in two weeks, what would you be most likely to do? 1. start working on it the day before it's due, then stay up most of the night completing it 2. work hard on the report for a day or two before it's due 3. start working on it during the second week 4. budget time throughout the two weeks to produce the report 20. In general, whose company do you prefer? 1. people you've recently met 2. professional colleagues, co-workers or fellow members of a club or church Scoring Add up all the numbers you circled. 30 or below. Suggests a high need for excitement and a low tolerance for boredom. You're more likely than other women to take physical risks and avoid long-term commitments. 31 or above. Suggests you find it hard to take physical and financial risks, but easy to take long-term risks, such as deciding to raise a family or committing yourself to a career. |
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