This past weekend, I took a day trip to Botany Bay on Edisto Island, South Carolina, with the College of Charleston Outdoors Club. Although the trip was only a day trip, it served as yet another reminder to me of the importance of getting outside, in areas that are relatively untouched by humans.

Botany Bay is a wildlife preserve, so there are no permanent residents, no industrialization, and no noise pollution, something hard to come by here in downtown Charleston. Although Botany Bay was just over an hour away, the difference in the geology of the land, and the feeling of the land, was quite remarkable. Beautiful shells and marine life such as jellyfish were washing up onto shore. We found multiple sand dollars and obscure rocks. The fact that the land is uninhabited was profound because the thought of land being as it was hundreds of years ago is a powerful thought.

Leaving downtown Charleston often reminds me how it is truly necessary to get out of the hustle and bustle of a city. Throughout this year, I sometimes have felt a heavy anxiety coming from a source I was unsure of. The busy life of a college student, especially in a city, surrounded by industrialization, thousands of people, and the stress of school can sometimes be overwhelming. Our bodies are not evolved to sit inside and look at a computer all day, after all. This is why it has been so essential for me to leave the peninsula and go to a more natural setting every now and then. When I have put myself in this position this year, I have truly taken note of silence. I grew up in the woods of New York, and there were not many city noises.

Coming to Charleston is exciting because there is so much activity going on. However, I often need to be reminded that silence is curing. Sitting on the beach at Botany Bay was extremely beneficial for my mental health because it allowed me to be centered in a place of beauty. The fact that I was in such a beautiful atmosphere opened my mind up and let me reflect on the things that have been going on in my life recently. It is hard for one’s brain to keep up with all of the busy activity one does everyday, but putting oneself in a place of silence and natural beauty helps thoughts process and flow better.

There is great value, in addition, to sharing this type of experience with others. Although it’s vital that the group spends some time in silence, sharing this experience with other people often times amplifies the experience. Those who share the experience together can converse about the things they see, and the enthusiasm and excitement of being in a natural, beautiful place can easily rub off from one person to another. I have been on many trips with the Outdoors Club this year, and it has served as an inspiring community of people who also want to go back to their roots and experience nature the way our evolution would have liked us to!