Chopping Wood Helps Mental Health During Self-Quarantine [VIDEO]

Gyms are closed, sports are canceled, but there's plenty of wood to cut.

It was starting to look like all my stress outlets were being taken away from me, all thanks to this COVID-19 crisis. I was quickly gaining weight and going for runs just wasn't doing it. I needed to find something to de-stress, something to "leave it all out on the field," if you know what I mean.

I then noticed a bunch of logs that were in dire need of splitting, so I grabbed an ax and went to town. Each swift downward swing of the ax was invigorating. Each splintering slice from the blade as it chewed its way from the top of the bottom of the log was satisfying. Each one of the halves from the log that flew in opposite directions felt victorious.

One by one, the wood was stacking up into piles of triumph.

An odd sense of empowerment and aptitude overcame me, like a warm rush of blood from my head to my feet. It was thrilling, to say the least, and as time went on, I found myself becoming stronger with the ax and much more accurate. Logs were soaring through the air left and right as my mighty ax swung through the air like a hot knife through a stick of butter.

There was both a satisfaction and obsession when it came to splitting wood to the point where I am now wearing a heart monitor to track the number of calories burned during my chopping sessions. Each time, I was averaging 1,000 calories per hour, and it was exactly what I needed to shake off the coronavirus blues.

Do I feel like a man? Hell yeah, I feel like a man, but the thing is, anybody with the will to work can do this and I highly encourage it. Be sure though to wear eye protection and to only swing an ax when nobody is around. If you don't know what you're doing, then don't do it, but if you're comfortable with swinging an ax and you're looking for an excuse to work out while simultaneously doing some yard work, then yes, pick yourself up an ax and go to town on a cord of wood.

Finally, at the end of the day, when all the wood is chopped up and you've mustered up a mighty sweat, then may I suggest an ice-cold beer to compliment the hard work you've put in. You deserved it (must be 21 years of age or older, please drink responsibly, and do not operate an ax under the influence of alcohol).