By Julianna Mauriello
Arts & Entertainment Editor
When life is feeling a little extra stressful, go to the highest point on land that you can. Recently, I have found that the way to cure my stress is to step back and take a look at the bigger picture.
If you ask anyone who knows me, they will tell you that I have the worst case of the travel bug. I was bit by the bug early on in life and I’ve been intrigued and fascinated by everywhere and anywhere in the world ever since.
When I was abroad, I discovered my love for mountains. While in Interlaken, Switzerland, I did something out of my comfort zone and took a run off of the Swiss Alps to hang-glide through the town and over the valley.
That ten minute hang-gliding experience was ten minutes of reflecting on my life and realizing just how small I am in the grand scheme of things.
Flying at the peak height of the mountain is when I noticed all the houses that filled the town below me, how small each individual house was and just how many houses comprised this city. I thought to myself: imagine how many people live in each of these houses. Think of all the daily stress that each individual in that house has. Now look at the group of houses on that block or within the three blocks next to that, and imagine all their daily stress and issues. Now, zoom out even further and just look at all the land, the mountains surrounding the valley, the body of water larger than the city center.
Finally, I looked up at the sky. I realized that from a bird’s eye view, the problems that we all face when our feet are on the ground are not the end of the world. Our world is so much bigger than just our own individual everyday problems.
There is something so comforting about knowing that you are not required to stay in one place for the rest of your life. We are not held solely in one location because we have the freedom to experience the world and all that it encompasses. If you do not travel, it can be hard to see the world from many different perspectives. Since traveling, I have gained the ability to put myself in others’ shoes from having seen so many different cultures and gaining a greater appreciation for the life I live.
Traveling is more than just a hobby and passion in my life, but it is also an escape. A plane ride is my peace, being above the clouds is humbling and looking down on just how big the world really is brings me a greater sense of purpose.
Whenever life gets a little too stressful, I head to the highest point on land that I can. Whether it is a rooftop or a mountain, I will go to any place where I can regain that perspective and understanding of just how small I am and how insignificant my stress is in the grand scheme of life. There is nothing more humbling than taking a look at the bigger picture, something much greater than yourself.
