Hi, I'm back after over a year...

[lonely_drummer]

Hi everyone. I'm Cody, I don't know if u guys remember me. I was a frequent user over a year ago. I suffered social anxiety and began really trying to cure myself. I went to Svalbard, a northern Norwegian island with a random group of people. I then decided after I came back to simply disappear from society. I realized that raw nature was the only thing making me somewhat happy. I hitchhiked to the Yukon and wandered among the mountains. I packed all my gear into one bag and lived in the mountains for 7 months. Then I traveled from coast to coast in Canada. I went over 18000 km in 4 months. Allowed myself to open up to people along the way. I met the most interesting yet some of them being really messed up people. Learnt a lot about life. And I just simply want to share this with you. I have returned to society and I am feeling the pressures once again. I feel lonely here yet I'm surrounded by people. When I was living in the mountains, I felt so at peace and had no need for human contact, but now I crave it yet dont receive it. Its sooo freakin hard!!! I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense, I'm really weird right one. This is a good place and I like everyone here

 

[WeirdyMcGee]

Welcome back, Cody!

Sounds like you had an amazing trip!
You were brave to venture out on your own like you did.
Very cool~ I hope you can continue to be brave and face your fears a little at a time!
I'll have my fingers crossed for you

 

[Nanita]

Hi Cody
Wow your story reminds me of a great movie, Into The Wild.

I don´t feel good at all about society, I want to escape. I have been away from time to time, but for maximum 3 months at a time.
I don´t like citylife, living surrounded by people, cars, shops, materialism, noise.
Nature and animals is what I love the most.

 

[Blabla..]

Hi Cody,

It reminded me of Into the wild also !!

I'm just like you , i like peace and solitude , nature , tranquility , but i also crave human interaction , it's overwhelming for me to hang out with people so i usually have conversations online , that's good enough for me

 

[¯\(º_o)/¯]

Wow, what an amazing story. Iv always wanted to do something like this, there is just to many people I would miss haha

Would you mind sharing more stories about being out there and the the people you met?
I love reading peoples stories. Even better when they are ouside the usual

 

[Beatrice]

Whoa.......

I like this post. A lot.

I used to dream of doing the same thing when I was younger..... My Side of the Mountain was my favorite book, haha.

 

[coyote]

welcome back!

wow, awesome trip - i'd so love to do that

 

[lonely_drummer]

Hi Cody
Wow your story reminds me of a great movie, Into The Wild.

I don´t feel good at all about society, I want to escape. I have been away from time to time, but for maximum 3 months at a time.
I don´t like citylife, living surrounded by people, cars, shops, materialism, noise.
Nature and animals is what I love the most.

The story of Chris Mccandless has always amazed and inspired me. I Didn't quite do it the same as him. I lived in the mountains and would stay for about 3 weeks at a time but would go back to the nearest town for one day to buy more supplies. The escape was needed and I encourage anyone to do it. The hardest part is letting go. The whole time I was heading up there I kept saying to myself, I can't believe I'm doing this!

 

[Beatrice]

The escape was needed and I encourage anyone to do it.

Surely not alone, though Especially women......

I'd be afraid of getting eaten by a bear or something. I watch the animal channel a lot, and so my head is now filled with stories of bear, wolf, and shark attacks.

Oh and wild pigs.

 

[lonely_drummer]

Surely not alone, though Especially women......

I'd be afraid of getting eaten by a bear or something. I watch the animal channel a lot, and so my head is now filled with stories of bear, wolf, and shark attacks.

Oh and wild pigs.

Hehe, I don't encourage the average Joe to go out. I have a lot of outdoor experience. What I meant was that I encourage anyone to do their own escape, whatever it may be, just by simply traveling or whatever. The whole aspect of wild animals was usually in the back of my mind however the fear and urgency wore off. I connected with nature and came to terms with the fact that a bear could come eat me at any moment. To me it would be the most natural way to die, instead of getting cancer from eating foods with too many preservatives

 

[Nanita]

I connected with nature and came to terms with the fact that a bear could come eat me at any moment. To me it would be the most natural way to die, instead of getting cancer from eating foods with too many preservatives

Exactly...... nice

 

[lonely_drummer]

Hey y'all. I been back in society for about a week now and it's all crashing hard on me. Being out in the mountains was easy. Easy to deal with your problems, easy to get distracted from all the bad in my world. All of you have been engulfed by society this past year and I'm impressed. It was as if my SA was on vacation and is now being put to the test. Did I build a road to curing myself or did I just run away to come back and find that I didn't cure anything at all? I'm starting to get that daunting feeling that failure is sneaking up behind me just to bit me and say, "I'm baaaack". It's easy to run, but hard to hold your ground in a starring contest with SA and that's why you're all wonderful and brave

 

[someday17]

Hi Cody
Wow your story reminds me of a great movie, Into The Wild.

I don´t feel good at all about society, I want to escape. I have been away from time to time, but for maximum 3 months at a time.
I don´t like citylife, living surrounded by people, cars, shops, materialism, noise.
Nature and animals is what I love the most.

yes i agree !
i thought the same thing when i read it

 

[someday17]

Hey y'all. I been back in society for about a week now and it's all crashing hard on me. Being out in the mountains was easy. Easy to deal with your problems, easy to get distracted from all the bad in my world. All of you have been engulfed by society this past year and I'm impressed. It was as if my SA was on vacation and is now being put to the test. Did I build a road to curing myself or did I just run away to come back and find that I didn't cure anything at all? I'm starting to get that daunting feeling that failure is sneaking up behind me just to bit me and say, "I'm baaaack". It's easy to run, but hard to hold your ground in a starring contest with SA and that's why you're all wonderful and brave

Maybe your trip away was a bit like running away from your SA, because you didn't have a whole lot of contact with society. Hopefully now that you are back you will eventually get used to society again? After that trip you took, I wouldn't let SA take over. You have become stronger (both mentally and physically).

 

[twiggle]

Your trip sounds absolutely heavenly

 

[lonely_drummer]

Maybe your trip away was a bit like running away from your SA, because you didn't have a whole lot of contact with society. Hopefully now that you are back you will eventually get used to society again? After that trip you took, I wouldn't let SA take over. You have become stronger (both mentally and physically).

Good insight, thanks for that! I guess if I was able to temporarily make myself happy at that point in time, I can notice the difference from how I feel now and do nothing but try and understand why. I guess it's still a step into the right direction. I guess it just shows that you can't just shrug this off and be rid of SA forever, it's a process which may take a long time if not stay with me for my whole life.

 

[Kiwong]

Thanks for us telling about your wonderful adventure, Cody. I like to escape into nature too, but for only short periods, every weekend, or work field trips are opportunities, what I see in nature really amazes and distracts me. And there is nothing wrong with escaping from society for however long you need to renew yourself.

A couple of years ago I did a vegetation survey and I escaped into nature almost twice a week. Every time I went out I had a kind of fear in the back of my mind, mainly of snakes and lighting storms. Each time I saw something new and wonderful and I take those memories with me. I was lucky to experience what I did. Nature is one of the reasons I feel lucky to be alive even though I have anxiety.

Being out in nature I became in touch with the seasons and weather patterns, as River lilies and Banand Bush came into flower; I witnessed rain drops falling on creeks with magenta water lilies, and then I saw the same storm clouds dropping water out to sea. I saw the fury of storms and heavy rain that eroded dunes and caused lanslips. I gained a perspective on this incredible earth and the way it works, which you can't get in an office or walking through a shopping mall.

 

[Apersonalan]

Sounds like you gained your true self for a while being away from society, it makes people really realize just how much is actually going on outside of the small town/city they live in. This makes me think back to 02 when me and my friend Matt were suppose to go to Alaska for a job opportunity in the end he decided not to go and I couldn't go alone. I've always had a thing for nature and briefly worked at my friends farm as a teen right near the wildlife so I really envy you. The world is a big beautiful place that I wish I could see but it shows just how society in not that big of a deal in comparison and focusing on something more important like this should get you through.

 

[redhead042]

We should all put our money together and buy our own island!