The "B.C. Effect"

When my friends and family read the title of this story, they will no doubt roll their eyes and say something along the lines of, "OK, OK, we get it - B.C. is the best place on earth...now shut it and move on!" And honestly, I wouldn't blame them. I haven't shut up about how beautiful the Western-most province of Canada is since I came back home to Ontario in July. But - can you really blame me for this?! There's just something about that province that was able to completely flip my perspective and mindset. Having grown up in the suburbs outside of Toronto, I typically think of "nature" as being up at a cottage in the Muskokas. Yes, we have lovely, curated trails to walk and bike through, with beautiful trees and gardens. But...nothing, and I mean NOTHING, compares to the majesty of British Columbia.

I've been to B.C. on two separate occasions in my 26 years - once when I was 12 years old, and the other this past May & June. I can remember, even as a young, pre-pubescent tween, thinking that I would want to live there one day. In fact, I distinctly remember one evening in 2006, on a family road trip, where my mother and I were strolling Victoria Harbour prior to going for dinner on Fisherman's Wharf. I looked at her and said, "Mom, I think I'm going to live here one day." Fast forward fourteen years or so, and I was back at Victoria Harbour, trying to do exactly that. In May 2020, when I went out on a solo-travel road trip to stay with friends and escape the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided it would be a good time for me to see if I could enjoy relocating to this province. My lifelong pals in Ontario cautioned me (knowing my personality & morals), that once I got out there, I'd never want to come back. And once I arrived in B.C., I instantly knew what they meant - I felt this sense of utter calm and peace surrounding me. I felt excitement and wonder, serenity and freedom, all at the same time. At the end of May, I had driven back to Ontario, packed up my important belongings, and started driving back to my new province. I didn't get to actually fulfill the new dream I had of moving to B.C. full-time yet, but that is another story.

Being surrounded by so much beauty at all times was invigorating. I was making connections to my family history, and rekindling friendships that I'd lost touch with over the years. Here I was, getting back to enjoying the "simple" things like reading in the park and taking mindful strolls along city streets, the oceanfront or ancient forests. I was looking for new trails and awesome lookouts to explore, and new cuisines to try. I was more confident in myself than ever, and had honestly never felt as spiritually connected as I had just travelling from place to place, experiencing the awe-inspiring sights. I didn't have a plan, but I trusted my intuition and it always led me in the right direction. Back home, I relied on attention from other people and wasted my time mindlessly scrolling social media. Out there in B.C., whether it was in Kamloops, Salmon Arm, Vancouver, Victoria or somewhere else on Vancouver Island, I sought out those new experiences. I went out of my way to meet new people and made some of the greatest memories with them.

The most major change was the shift in my mental health. See, I am someone who struggles with crippling anxiety, and ensuing depression; bouts of self-hate and low self-esteem from many, many lifetime traumas. It got so bad in my most recent relationship that I developed OCD tendencies, and a pretty nasty eating disorder, along with a straight-up reliance on marijuana and nicotine. I had been going through therapy on and off since I was in third year university in 2015, but had really upped my game in late 2018. The relationship I was in from early 2018 to April 2020 was one that I had changed every part of myself for, without even realizing it. I truly believed that he was the only man that could ever love a girl as broken as I was. Again, that is another story.

The atmosphere in B.C. seriously changed my mental health. I didn't feel the shortness of breath, the overwhelming thoughts, or the fear of panic attacks, like I did in Ontario. All I needed to do was look out the window at the mountains, and I would be reminded that there were so many reasons to be free and happy...that my mountain of anxiety was insignificant compared to actual physical mountains. I was so spiritually connected that I allowed all of my emotions to flow through me, and truly listened to what my body needed at whatever moment. I actively chose to be more sustainable in everything I did, from walking instead of driving, to purchasing local fresh food instead of fast food. I was able to get back to my camp-girl roots - I reconnected my body to my mind, and both to my spirit. Hell, I was even looking into buying a kayak for myself! For a girl who had struggled with understanding the purpose of mindfulness, and even more with the application of it, this was a major breakthrough. I became my most "hippie-dippie" inner self - but also understood my limitations.

After my accident on July 1 (read my previous story, "Accidentally Put Together" for more context), I was thrust into an internal void. I struggled to connect as deeply as I had when I was in B.C., now that I was back in Ontario. When I was out West, I was only focused on doing good for others, for myself and for the environment. Back in Ontario, I automatically slipped back into wanting to enter the Rat Race, looking for high-paying positions that I knew I would hate, or wouldn't qualify for in the first place. I began comparing myself to people on social media again, feeling the materialistic and shallow desires sneaking in. I found myself unmotivated, and uncreative; I struggled to feel that undeniable chemistry with the earth as I had in B.C.

I missed the sea-salty air that would envelope my nostrils when I was exploring Victoria and Vancouver Island. I missed the sights of striking mountains and sprawling valleys. I missed going on adventures into the wild, where I didn't have cell service and would trust the road and signs to bring me back to civilization. I was (and still am) so obsessed that I started researching drone photography and videography of B.C. sights. This was when I came across the following link - https://www.hellobc.com/the-british-columbia-effect-US/. From the title, I was instantly drawn in...the more that I read, the more I was reading almost the exact thoughts I had in my head; I just wasn't able to truly describe why or how I had felt lighter and more free out there. When I saw that article, and the various stats listed, I was completely validated in everything I had been spewing about B.C. to my family and friends. I experienced exactly what this article speaks of - my short-term memory and creativity boosted, and my anxiety level decreased immensely; feeling truly grateful out there comes naturally.

In Southern Ontario, we are surrounded by concrete and flat, man-made green spaces. Lake Ontario is beautiful to look at, but not the most pleasant to swim in. Our trees are small and young, and each natural green space is soon developed by some new management company. Even up north around Lake Huron and Lake Superior, once considered "The Boonies", we see development companies cutting down trees from old-growth forests to make way for more buildings and houses. There's hardly a place around the Great Lakes where you can dive headfirst into peace & serenity...the sounds of highway traffic, HVAC units and trains produces a constant hum that is impossible to escape. For some, the attachments to cell phones, fancy sports cars and competitive growth are what keeps them going. They thrive from the power of capitalism, consumerism and materialistic goals. A society that claims to be "for the people, by the people", but is actually just an epicentre for individualism. Career and money come first; family might come second, and travel is saved for retirement.

We tend to wait and wait for the "glory days" to arrive once we've saved x amount of dollars, or lost x number of pounds, or get to a certain age. We live sedentary lives, and choose to commute for 3-4 hours a day in bumper-to-bumper traffic, just so we can afford a house or apartment, and put food on the table. In Victoria, the "commuters" might drive for a total of 30 minutes in each direction...in Vancouver, this can obviously be more, but STILL it doesn't come close to what those living in Southern Ontario put themselves through. There's no wonder as to why we are the most stressed society in Canada...we literally have less oxygen than other parts of the country, between our air pollution and lack of green spaces. Because of how fast we are developing in Southern Ontario, it takes 2 hours or more to get to any semblance of "nature", and even then, those townships are expanding by the month.

I am not an expert on B.C. - far from it. I am also not saying that B.C. is perfect and can do no wrong, even though I understand that's how this post comes across. However, they have learned to be mindful and sustainable in their development, maintaining the spirit of the land and culture. In B.C., you can discover new worlds in less than an hour. You can be fully immersed in the wild and experience ancient forestry. You can swim in lakes and the Pacific Ocean without fear of getting sick from entering the water. You can see cityscape, forestry, mountains and water all at once. In this land of adventure, you can come across 3 provincial parks in a single day. When you feel the stress of daily life sneaking in, you can drive to a lookout down the road, or walk to reflect by the ocean before you go to bed. Maybe I'm looking at B.C. through rose-coloured lenses, and am missing all of the negative sides. Maybe I'm blind to the flaws that are inherent in society out on the West Coast, because it is so novel for me and different from Southern Ontario. Maybe I was just going through a stressful transitionary period in my personal life, and saw B.C. as my safe haven. But - there's a reason why most Ontarians that go to British Columbia for a job or for school never move back...they know something that I only found out in May 2020. They all understand why the license plates in our Western-most province are colourful and boast, "Beautiful British Columbia".