Adventures are full of energy, challenge, growth and, often, their own flavor of chaos. Whether on all-adult excursions, solo trips, or family adventures, these components are something the adventurous spirit craves and savors.
But if you find yourself dreading adventure, feeling constantly irritated or unmanageably overwhelmed by the process, and not in the least bit restored or energized by it you might be experiencing adventure burnout.
You might be wondering where it’s coming from and what you can do to get back to loving outdoor adventure. We’ve got you covered!
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Let’s Normalize the Struggle
Before we dig into the details of adventure burnout, it’s important to normalize this feeling and struggle. Struggling with something you’ve always loved, or something that is a big part of your family culture can come with a lot of confusion, frustration, and guilt. But you’re not alone. In fact, this was me last summer.
Why did the family camping trips I’ve always loved suddenly feel so overwhelming? Why did I keep wishing ‘we could just be a “normal” family and stay home?’ Laughable (and kind of embarrassing) now, but that was a constant thought! Why did every bit of adventure prep swing me into complete fatigue and irritability? Shouldn’t I be loving all of it, grateful, soaking it up? Admittedly, when it came to outdoor adventure, what I felt was “over it.”
It might not look exactly like this for everyone, but just as with anything challenging it’s not uncommon for burn out to occur with adventure.
And it doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to give it up, or that it’s ‘phasing out’ of your life. But it is usually a sign that it’s time to pause, reflect, refresh, and adjust. And I’m here to say, it can definitely come back around, and result in adventures even better than before!
Five Sources of Adventure Burnout
If you are feeling burnt out on adventuring, one (or more) of these five common sources might jump out at you right away. In the next sections, we’ll give you tips on pausing, reflecting, and starting fresh. But for now, let’s take a quick look at how each of these sources of burn out might show up for people.
Planning, Prepping, and Packing
Just from talking with friends and knowing what our Tales of a Mountain Mama community requests from our team, I can say this is a big one! There are SO many steps to adventuring before you even get out the door. This can lead to burnout from decision fatigue, gear disorganization, and food prep.
Being Spread Too Thin
As parents we all carry and juggle a lot for ourselves and for our children. Being spread too thin can show up as busy schedules that leave little time open for adventures, lack of sleep if you have babies or toddlers in the family, and changes in your or your child’s mental or physical health.
Financial Stressors
Finances can be a big factor for people accessing the outdoors, and one that often feels taboo to talk about, which only makes it harder to find solutions. Outdoor adventuring can certainly be done ‘on a shoestring,’ but it’s not always easy to find information on free or truly cheap adventures, sourcing gear on a budget, and learning outdoor skills when we carry the weight of financial stressors.
Trying to Live Up to Others’ Expectations
If you have been adventuring for a while, you may find that you’re known for this among family, friends, and possibly even on social media platforms. You may have been labeled as adventurous, bold, fun, inspirational, or any number of other terms that come with being an adventurous spirit, and it can feel like this well-known part of your identity is at risk if you’re burnt out and need a break. So, you keep going for the sake of maintaining this known element of your identity.
Lack of Novelty and Challenge
Simply put, you’re bored with the same old activities! You can be on auto-pilot in your adventures, you haven’t learned any new skills or expanded your community in quite a while. So, something that used to energize and motivate you now feels like ‘going through the motions’ to continue doing something you’ve always done.
How to Recharge from Adventure Burnout
Whether for one of the above reasons, or a different reason entirely, if you are in a rut with adventuring or exhausted at the very thought of it it’s time to recharge.
Permission to Pause
Giving yourself permission to pause can be a hurdle in and of itself. Even if adventuring isn’t feeling energizing, nourishing, or satisfying it can be tempting to just push through this phase. But taking a pause will allow you get clear on where your burnout is coming from, and whether time will fix it or you need to actively make some adjustments.
This pause might be a pause from just one activity that you are noticing feeling burnt out on. It may be for a week, a month, a season, or a year- you might not know at first. It could be a pause from one aspect of adventuring, or a pause from a community that just doesn’t feel right.
This won’t look the same for everyone. This is your time to catch your breath so you can understand the source of your burnout. This is also time to prioritize rest, physical nourishment with water and good food, and mental health support in the form of therapy if that is accessible, and/or self-help tools.
Time to Reflect
While you are paused, take time to reflect. See if you can put your finger on what it is about adventuring that isn’t feeling right. Take a look back at the five common sources of adventure burnout above and see if anything jumps out at you.
Start by giving yourself some quiet, uninterrupted time if possible. This might mean some solo walks, working through an adult coloring book, or sitting with your eyes closed for five minutes to watch your thoughts. This is a great time to put your thoughts down on paper through journal entries, quick lists, thought webs, or doodles.
This is YOUR time. Silence your phone, minimize distraction, and if you want music on, choose something that won’t drown out your own thoughts. Once you’ve given yourself some time to reflect on your burnout, consider talking it through with your partner, a close friend or family member, or a mental health counselor.
Start Fresh
Sometimes the chunk of time that you used to pause and reflect will have recharged you and left you feeling energized. Hooray! you’re ready to get back to it.
If your pause and reflection helped you realize that you need to make some adjustments, try these tips to address your source of burnout before jumping back in.
How to Start Fresh
For Planning, Prepping, and Packing
- Streamline with systems and family roles. Determine who plans, shops for, and packs food for each adventure; who gathers outdoor gear; who gathers clothing and toiletries if it’s an overnight trip; who gathers personal entertainment. Do a quick ‘cross check’ of each others’ lists before leaving.
- Utilize resources like adventure guides, meal plans, checklists, and packing lists. Consider laminating packing lists to reuse. Keep adventure guides and wish lists in one place-digitally or printed- so you can dig into details when you have the time and energy.
- Keep gear organized in bins to make it easier to gather. Consider a bin for a camp kitchen and one for a camping pantry, a bin for sleeping pads and bags, a bin for camp chairs, hammock and toys and games, a bin or stuff sack for rain gear and cold weather gear.
- For overnights, consider a set of clothes that gets washed and repacked in packing cubes after each adventure, making it ready for the next one.
For Being Spread too Thin
- Prioritize. If busy schedules are leaving you burnt out, use some of your reflection time to determine what can be taken off the schedule for this season while you recharge. Can your kids’ extra activities be scaled down to just one at a time? Can dinner be streamlined by meal prepping ahead or investing in meal subscriptions boxes temporarily? Can any work tasks be set aside? Remember, saying no to one thing means you are saying yes to time to recharge.
- Check in with your mental health and physical health. If we are pushing through or operating on auto-pilot it can be all too easy to get out of tune with mental and physical health. Either of these being off can be a source of lack of energy to keep up with all the things, whether your body is going through something, or you are struggling with mental health. Make sure your doctor/s are on your team as you recharge, and consider a mental health professional to help you get the mental and emotional care you need.
- Create a visual. As you prioritize, get inspired by putting your ideal rhythm into a visual. This can be a drawing, painting, funky word web, collage, or any other form of expression you love. Hang it up so you remember your goals and vision.
For Financial Stressors
- Embrace local and backyard adventures and keep your kids engaged with backyard nature play. Not all adventures need to be big or far from home! There is often so much to do and learn close to home, even if that means urban adventures.
- Source used or borrowed gear. Look into gear libraries in your area through recreation centers, community centers, or private owners. Utilize local Facebook groups to ask for used gear, and ask friends if you can borrow or trade gear. Check out Gear Trade, Patagonia Worn Wear, REI used gear, Rerouted, and Outdoor Gear Exchange.
- Go minimal. Think about how you can best use what you have for adventures that will feel nourishing and create connection with your family, and make a list of the top 5 pieces of gear that each family member needs. Look for this gear borrowed, used, or on sale. Consider starting a ‘gear fund’ with small, regularly scheduled contributions. This really adds up over time!
- Shop sales. Keep a close eye on REI sales and Prime Day sales. We can help with this! Get on our newsletter list and you’ll get a sneak peak into what the Tales of a Mountain Mama team is buying and recommending during sales.
For Trying to Live up to Others’ Expectations
- Commit to a mindset shift. During your reflection time, consider putting down on paper what you see as the many aspects of your identity. This could be in the form of a journal entry, a thought web, or a doodle. If you have been seen as ‘adventurous’ among family and friends, you may be trying to maintain this for the sake of not losing a known part of your identity. But when we are burnt out, starting fresh means building our identity for our own sake and letting go of others’ labels for us. Reflecting on the aspects of your identity can help you see yourself in a well-rounded way, and commit to shifting into decisions and activities that support that.
- Take a social media break. It’s no secret that social media breeds a comparison mindset. When we are feeling burnt out or low on confidence, this is not helpful. For your season of recharging, sign out, delete apps, turn off notifications, and find replacements for when you are looking for the connection or mental break that we often seek from social media.
For Lack of Novelty
- Get inspired with adventure books. This can even be your social media replacement! When you are reaching for your phone, go for a book instead. Knowing what amazing feats other adventurers have conquered, and challenges they have overcome can create a supportive sense of common humanity and inspiration.
- Try a new activity or sport. If you feel like you are on auto-pilot for every adventure, it may be time to try something new. For added accountability, get a friend on board. Take a look at local classes through a nature center, recreation center, or outdoor retailer. Seek out races, or join a race challenge for a good cause.
- Build your community. This often comes naturally with trying a new activity or sport. You will find yourself in adventure circles that you didn’t have before, with new sources of inspiration and connection. This can create freshness and excitement to help pull you out of your rut.
If you are feeling burnt out,we encourage you to take some time to identify what the source might be, try some solutions, and be patient and flexible with yourself.
We at Tales of a Mountain Mama hope that, before long, adventures will once again feel nourishing, restorative, and full of fun and energy.
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Five Sources of Adventure Burnout and What to Do
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