The BulleTin • Friday, July 23, 2021 B9
TOP OUTDOORS PICK
McKay Park
Makenzie Whittle/The Bulletin
People float along the river near Bend Whitewater Park at McKay Park.
BY MAKENZIE WHITTLE
The Bulletin
Drew Peterson/Submitted
Columnist Cristina Peterson on the ascent during a recent hike with her husband from Suttle Lake to Scout Lake.
Resilience
Continued from B1
But I’m learning to cope, to
adapt. Some days, it’s easier
than others, but I truly believe
that with the right mindset,
anyone can persevere through
a hard time and become a bet-
ter person through it. Taking
lessons from ecosystems and
from other wise people in my
life, here are some tips for deal-
ing with time away from a fa-
vorite activity.
Diversify your interests
to broaden your identity
It can be even harder to take
time off if a single activity is
your only outlet or form of ex-
ercise. Often if an injury pre-
vents you from doing one type
of sport, others are still possi-
ble. For example, cycling if you
can’t run, doing strength train-
ing if you can’t climb. Walking,
swimming and yoga can all be
as gentle or intense as a per-
son’s body allows. If you really
have to be still, explore other
interests that help you find
calm. Escaping into a good
book, trying new recipes in the
kitchen or learning a craft are
all options that often require a
focus that leads to staying pres-
ent the moment.
Similarly, if your identity and
self-worth are tied to a single
sport, when it is removed even
temporarily from life, it can
cause real emotional distress.
Know that your value as a hu-
man goes way beyond how hard
you climb or how many miles
you run. Think about what you
value in others. Identify yourself
by the type of person you want
to be. If you want to be a kind
or respectful or fun person, you
can be any of those things re-
gardless of what you are doing.
Talk to others
Everyone takes time off
at some point. So you’re not
alone, and you’re not likely
the first person to experience
the frustration, fear of miss-
ing out or other emotions you
might be feeling. Find others
who can relate to your situa-
tion. You may find that other
athletes have been in the same
place and can offer support
or encouragement that, even
though you may be losing fit-
ness in the short term, taking
care of yourself will be bene-
ficial in the long term. If you
don’t know anyone who can
provide perspective, seek out a
professional therapist to talk to
during a down time.
Reframe situations
to find the positives
Once you accept a situation
for what it is, you can find les-
sons to learn and focus on the
positives that could come from
it. Time off from an outdoor
activity may open up time and
energy for someone or some-
thing else in your life. Learn
from the circumstances that
landed you where you are but
don’t dwell on the past. Stay
present, even if it’s uncomfort-
able. Feel the pain or the suf-
fering; acknowledge them. But
know that it won’t last and if a
return to sport is possible, use
the time off to plan how you
can come back stronger.
It’s not easy to take time
away from favorite activi-
ties. Learning to be resilient
through hard times though,
will improve your mindset in
all of life.
You don’t have to be a
surfer to enjoy McKay Park,
though it is definitely a bo-
nus. Sometimes just parking
your car and finding a spot
on the grass to enjoy while on
your lunchbreak is enough.
That’s what I have been
doing consistently since I
started at The Bulletin. Less
so since the pandemic led me
to work from home, but it’s
still a nice change to go back
to my old lunch spot. With
picnic tables, benches, ample
lawn space under shady trees,
you too can soak in the half-
hour or hourlong break in
between meetings and water
cooler talk.
The 3.9-acre park is also
home to the Bend Whitewa-
ter Park, which can provide
all the entertainment you
need for a midday break.
Most popular during the
summer for swimming, float-
ing and just having a family
afternoon out, the parking
spots can fill up fast.
Getting there: Travel
southwest on Colorado Av-
enue in Bend and at the first
roundabout at the Simpson
Avenue intersection, take the
third exit onto Simpson Ave-
nue, traveling east. Follow the
road as it curves northwest,
and McKay Park is on the
right, just past the bridge, at
166 SW Shevlin Hixon Drive,
Bend.
e
Reporter: 541-383-0304,
mwhittle@bendbulletin.com
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541-318-4868
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