Let's take a walk.

Let’s take a walk.

I absolutely love walking. Some of my best ideas come to me while I’m taking a walk. I find that all of the noise that is jumbling around in my mind and not making sense somehow slows down, becomes quieter, and I can focus on things more clearly. I understand situations better, find solutions more easily, and I often get infused with inspiration…like this blog post.

So, what is so inspiring about walking? Walking is good for us. But you already know this. Exercise in general has countless health benefits and I could prove it to you by presenting all the scientific data in this blog. But honestly, I don’t want to spend my time doing the research and you most likely don’t want me to bore you with all of that dry research data anyway. Trust me, it’s all out there. But I don’t want to talk about scientific data, I want to talk about walking from a personal perspective. I want to discuss how walking can actually improve your life.

When I feel overwhelmed with stress, I go for a walk. Just because I’m a professional therapist does not mean I am immune from stress or challenges. I have them both in abundance!  As a therapist, I actually carry a significant emotional burden from my work with clients, as well as my own that comes with just being a human on this crazy earth. Because I have these additional pressures, and people are relying on me to be mentally grounded, I absolutely have to find reliable ways to manage my stress. So, when I feel stressed, I go for a walk.

What happens is interesting. Usually, during the first 10 minutes of a walk, I am still wrapped up in whatever ruminating anxiety loop I am stuck in. Often, I am not too thrilled about walking at that particular moment because I’m feeling rather, ummm, persnickety. Most of the time it takes about 15 minutes before some sort of shift happens in my brain. But then, suddenly, I start feeling good about walking. At this point I usually have a brisk stride, breathing heavy, and I notice I’m no longer feeling cold in the Pacific Northwest chill. Around this 15 to 20-minute marker, I tend to become aware of a significant reduction in my stress, anxiety, or whatever uncomfortable feelings I happen to have brought along with me on this walk. Usually, my body actually feels lighter and I can move more fluidly. I find that I’m actually enjoying my walk at this point, looking around, noticing things like the decaying log and the strange colored fungus that’s growing out of it. Sometimes I become mindful of the quiet. I love the days when I can actually hear the wind move through the trees.

In my experience, where you walk isn’t all that important. Sometimes I walk in my neighborhood even though there isn’t much to see and it’s a bit boring. When I lived in the city, I’d walk the grimy metropolitan streets. Currently, I happen to be lucky enough to live fairly close to a big park that has some trails. Although they’re not amazing trails, they are trails through a small forest nonetheless. I live in the Pacific Northwest so I also have the option to drive for 15 minutes in almost any direction and end up on a trail in a state park. Those are my favorite walks. Those are spectacular. My point though, is that it doesn’t really matter where you walk. I don’t care if you walk on the beach, if you walk on your cul-de-sac, if you find a trail, walk at the park, or take a few laps around the track at the local school… I don’t think it really matters. The crucial point is not where you walk, but making the decision to walk. The act of recognizing that you’re emotionally flooded, making a conscious decision to do something about that, following through with putting on your damn shoes, and then walking out the door. There is something transformational about that decision-making process. Making the decision to take a walk in order to move through that stress. That’s right, the decision to move through that stress.

Sometimes, I listen to really loud music on my headphones while I walk. Especially if I am feeling particularly angry or frustrated. At times, I will indulge in a podcast, or I might listen to an audiobook. Although I enjoy these distractions, I am convinced that the best results come from walking without any distractions at all. Just me and my brain. I have found that once I get moving, I can start asking myself questions: What am I really upset about? Why am I bothered by that? Is there a reason I can’t let it go? Why am I ruminating? What the heck triggered such a huge reaction?  Did my feelings get hurt? Am I angry? Worse, am I scared? Am I feeling shame, self-doubt, or regret?  Once I’m walking alone with my brain and I start asking these types of questions, the answers are almost always there. Even if I am not able to find a solution during my walk, I can usually find some sort of clarity, or at least a better understanding of why I’m feeling so dang dysregulated and overwhelmed.

Absolute worst-case scenario, the stress doesn’t go completely away. I admit, I have experienced this on a few occasions. I didn’t feel much relief after an hour of walking, returned home and I still felt rather disgruntled or caught up in my own BS. Even in those rare cases, as disappointing as it was that I did not get all the way through the stress, there was still a weird feeling of pride. I always feel satisfied that I made the attempt and at least I got some exercise.

Exercise. Everybody talks about the necessity of exercise for health. Most of us equate that with having an expensive gym membership and working out really hard every day. But the truth is, for exercise to be beneficial it doesn’t have to be that intense. Just a walk will do. A simple walk, it turns out, has numerous benefits. Walking stimulates energy flow, it helps your metabolism, it reduces stress, and boosts immunity. It increases your circulation which feeds your brain precious oxygen. It helps stave off dementia among a list of other maladies. And it floods you with wonderful chemicals that make you feel good such as dopamine and serotonin (yay!).

So, I want to encourage you to just walk. If you’re feeling stressed, depressed, worried, or have an anxious brain, just put on your beat-up sneakers and take a walk. You will feel better. And even if you don’t feel miraculously, 100% better at the end of that walk, you can at least have a little pride in yourself that you did it. You didn’t just sit and wallow, but you intentionally attempted to do something different in that moment. I guarantee, if you keep walking, continue to rely on that as a resource or tool, you will increase your ability to manage your stress and regulate your emotions. Walking will help you feel lighter, freer, more grounded, and clear. Keep at it. But don’t make it a chore. This isn’t about work, or trying to accomplishing something; it’s only about walking to feel a little better.

So, I’m recording this blog entry on my phone while I’m walking. Yes, I started my walk feeling intensely stressed-out. And, now I don’t. It was that simple. That stress just somehow wonderfully, and magically, left during my short trek. I’m on my way home now. I’m going to start making dinner for the family, feeling a little lighter, more grounded, more present, and I have to admit, kind of grateful that I had the ability to take a walk and let it go. Walking did not get rid of any of my (very real) challenges or my problems, but it sure helped create a little distance from them for a moment. Walking let me breathe a little oxygen, and feel some relief from the pressure. And any amount of relief is precious. Wouldn’t you agree?

Of course, walking is not the only way to better mental health. I just believe it is the simplest way. Walking is easy, it’s free, you don’t need a prescription, there are no side effects, and it’s legal. It provides immediate results in stress-reduction and emotional regulation as well as long range health benefits. I can’t think of anything else that can claim all of that nor have I found any other tool that works quite so well. Do you want to improve your mental health and manage your stress better? Then I suggest you put on your shoes…Let’s take a walk.

P. S.

After writing this essay I recognize that I’m going have to write another blog about what to do when you literally cannot take a walk…but that’s for another day.

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