Slow Paced Adventures: Making Happy Memories on Low Energy Days

I am 19 years old and have been chronically ill for 5 years.

Wait, let me rephrase that: I am an adventurer, traveler, and adrenaline junky and I am stuck inside of a sick body.

So call me stubborn, but I have gotten pretty good at finding every loophole and making adjustments to keep on living the life I want to live.

I love adventures, my body hates them, so we compromise and go on adventures anyway. My body always wins this battle though, so sometimes my idea of an adventure looks a little different.

Everyone has low energy days whether they’re in a healthy body or not. Sometimes it’s low mental energy, physical energy, or some combination of both. But if you’re craving adventure on those days, you most certainly still can.

Here are a few of my favorite slow-paced adventures that don’t require much energy at all.

Go on a Walk With No Destination

You can walk slow or fast and for whatever distance you want. Just go outside and start walking. Don’t think too hard about the direction you go, the turns you take, or where you will end up, just walk.

Listen to your favorite music or just listen to the sounds of the world. Make an effort to find beautiful things- both big and small. Look at the plants growing through the cracks of the sidewalk and the bursts of color on the buildings and on the Earth.

Have Your Mellow Time Outside

Whether it’s scrolling on your phone, watching TV, playing a game, having a snack, stretching, reading, napping, knitting, painting, or whatever else you do in your free time- do it outside.

This is a super easy way to spend more time outdoors. You’re doing all the same things you would be doing if you were inside, but you’re doing it while experiencing the outside world and making a happy little memory.

Drive to a Look-Out

Where I live in Colorado, there are tons of beautiful places to just pull off the road and park, usually with a view of the mountains. Ask around and do some research online and on social media to find any lookouts near you.

It’s up to you how far you want to drive to get there, but look for a place that is easy to just park and see a view straight from your car.

Sometimes I stay in the front seat, and sometimes I back into the spot so I can sit in the back of my car with the trunk open.

You can bring pillows and blankets, and maybe some paints, homework, a journal, or something to do while you’re there.

This is one of the best ways to get out and experience the outdoors even when you don’t have the energy to hike or when the weather is crummy.

Have a Picnic

You have to eat anyway, and with just a tiny bit of extra effort, you can turn it into a happy moment.

It does not need to be picnic baskets and fancy charcuterie boards. It can be as simple as PB&J or picking up takeout on your way there.

From breakfast picnics,

Take Photos

Photography is a form of art that also captures your memories and the way you see the world. It’s beautiful.

Set up a photoshoot indoors or outdoors, or simply take photographs of the things you see.

Go Hammocking

Set up a hammock somewhere in the trees and just chill outside for a little while.

See the World

When you’re low on energy and don’t have it in you to move your body or engage too much with other people, just sit back and let your eyes do all the work.

Watch the sunrise and the sunset, stargaze, sit in front of a tree and look at the intricacies and beauty of it, people watch, look at pieces of art and the clouds in the sky, sit by a body of water and just stare at it and the scenery around.

You don’t have to do anything else; just sit there and be.

Even when you’re a little out of it, your mind is still taking in the beauty that it sees which does wonderful things for your perspectives, memories, thoughts, and mental health.

There’s a world out there to see and a lifetime of memories to make. Go out there and live the life of your dreams, even when it’s not picture perfect and you have to make an adjustment or two.