As I was hiking up Kilimanjaro last week I felt like I finally understood why so many people use mountains as a means of self-discovery and recovery, especially when combating mental health. A mountain can be a physical manifestation of overcoming your fears, dealing with adversity and proving to yourself that you are more resilient than you ever imagined.

Mountains reassure you that you can push yourself harder than you thought possible whilst also politely reminding you of your insignificance in the wider world. They help put life into perspective.

I think that is why they are so addictive.

But what goes up must come down and the higher you go the greater the potential fall. Physical mountain or not, this is why I think constantly chasing the highs in life can be very dangerous. I think a lot of us do this. Many of us have very unrealistic expectations of how ‘happy’ we should always be and this can really affect our everyday mental health.

So, I would 100% encourage you to climb a mountain (a big one!), it will make you feel incredible! But, as in life, prepare yourself for the come down!

Now I’m off to research the next mountain to help me feel better 😂