Adrenaline rushes aren't just bursts of energy during moments of crisis. They are not simply a fast and intense release of power to the muscles due to anxiety.
Most individuals who seek out adventures understand that this adrenaline can be sustained in outdoor activities that test you physically and mentally. In fact, I hypothesis that there is a method to releasing adrenaline.
The process starts with the approach.
The thrill of the unknown and the joy of discovering the new.
The approach is anticipation. It's leaving home, and taking the first steps towards the adventure on the horizon. There's an excitement to leaving what is familiar and safe. As you travel from home the complacency of everyday life becomes more unrecognizable, until you are separated from the comfortable and introduced to the unknown.
The approach is those initial fragmented steps that begin your journey. Walking from your front door to the car, watching the landscape as it changes from fields of gray and brown roofs, to fields of green grass scattered with farms.
Next comes the adventure.
The adventure is the uncertainty of arriving at an alien destination, and choosing to follow a new path.
It is the emotion for the experience that you are opening yourself up to.
The adventure acquaints you with new environments. It teaches you the excitement of being separated from normalcy, and allows you to expand your thought. Embracing the adventure with an open mind and a willingness to explore IS the adrenaline rush.
Finally comes the reflection.
Reflection is as equally important as the approach and the adventure. The moments after adventure and the surge of adrenaline, are when clarity is developed. I've pondered the importance of reflection in this blog before, and I still feel the same way. It is rare that we have time in the moment to piece together the importance of experiences, and only after they end that we are able to understand them.
Making connections between an experience and oneself, our perceptions and the world is the most addicting piece of adventure.
When you begin seeking risks to understand these connections you become an Adrenaline Junkie. You realize that the risks you take, connect you to experiences that few people have found. The adventure feels unique even though other people have most likely come before you.
I am addicted to the process as a whole. From the moment I step out my door on a day hike, ski, climbing adventure, or trip to the farmers market, I crave the adrenaline and the connection to new experiences.
I crave it so much that while I was waiting for my poor ankle to heal this past month, I still went hiking, skiing and climbing... with caution of course. Despite actively trying to injure myself again (sorry mom and dad), I am happy to say that my ankle is now healed!
