3 Activities that will Get Your Teen Offline and Outdoors
“Spending a lot of time online is correlated with lower well-being in 15 year olds.” - Christine Carter, Greater Good Magazine
Memory, attention-span, sleep, human connection, and mental health are constantly threatened by our society’s dependency of apps and devices. While disconnecting your teen from their devices for a long period of time may be a tough challenge, getting them outside having fun is easy with these three sports.
1. Climbing
Professional Climber, Ethan Pringle, has been very open about mental health issues and pledges to live in the present by advocating that, “the periods of time in which I felt really good and didn’t dwell on things were the periods of time where I was on a road trip, outside every day and climbing every day.”
A new study led by the University of Arizona suggests that bouldering, a form of rock climbing, may also be used to effectively treat symptoms of depression. The study began with more than 100 participants in a German hospital that were randomly split into two groups. One began a bouldering intervention while the other group was waitlisted. Each participant climbed for three hours a week over the course of eight weeks. The group that climbed improved their depression scores by 6.27 points whereas the group that was initially waitlisted improved their depression by a mere 1.4 points.
The transformation of moderate to mild depression can take a lifetime to find, but for those that climb as a means of coping, the improvement of psyche is beyond comparison. Mental health advocate, climber, and instructor, Carolyn Wynn, discusses three epiphanies she had her first day on rock in an article on CNN. “(the first) I was a lot stronger than I thought, (the second) I realized I was going to be okay, (the third) something greater than myself had me.”
Climbing builds courage, communication, leadership, coping skills, teaches teens how to face personal challenges, and allows them to be a part of a unique community.
2. Backpacking
“I became best friends with my mom that trip and now have a whole new appreciation for her.” - Ashley Kinney, Girl & Her Backpack Founder
Backpacking with your teen can provide valuable time together outdoors. Girl & Her Backpack Founder, Ashley Kinney, went on a 50-mile backpacking trip with her mom across Trans Catalina Trail four years ago. Ashley says, “My mom and I would butt heads a lot when I was an early teenager. After that trip, I saw her for her whole self and not just my mom. I appreciated her strengths, and we shared our weaknesses. We had to lift each other up and push each other like a team...It was a tiring and difficult trek but I became best friends with my mom that trip and now have a whole new appreciation for her.”
Backpacking takes away the judgments and stress of the world making you focus on the task at hand rather than work, school, or strenuous relationships. It teaches teens to set aside time for reflection and connection, have empathy for others, push through a challenge and gives them space to open up to their parents or peers.
3. Mountain Biking
Optimizing mental health benefits of exercise is imperative, but doing it outside results in elevated calmness and stress-reductive effects (Mental Health & Prevention). Many outdoor enthusiasts talk about trail therapy - beating the sun, feeling the burn, and getting up that hill. For many cyclists, mountain biking isn’t just about riding in the woods. Increased self-confidence, comfortability of stepping out of one’s comfort zone, and an experience that allows kids to share experiences with fellow riders are all benefits of mountain biking.
Closing Thoughts
Getting your teen outdoors and off their phones with these fun sports could result in better mental wellness, deeper connections with parents and friends, and increased self-confidence. For more questions on how the outdoors can help your teen, contact Girl & Her Backpack director, Cassidy England at Cassidy@girlandherbackpack.com.