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Walking As Therapy

Walking As Therapy

Posted on: Sunday 3 October 2021

Fresh air. Proper fresh air. Air so fresh you can feel its journey as your lungs draw it in and it permeates your whole being / A slither of a breeze briefly relieving the sweat on your upper lip on a hot summers day / A glimpse of what someone else is watching on the telly as you pass by at night / The peace of feeling like there could be nobody else for miles / A polite hello to someone you don't know / Cars, lots of cars, passing by, each one filled with people whose story you don't know / Stamping the layers of mud off your boots on a rainy day / Pausing to appreciate your surroundings, and how they can change within the space of five minutes / Walking with a purpose / Walking with no purpose / Walking.




Oh the irony that I jotted down the title of this post as a draft 'to write' just before I went and sprained my ankle and the only therapy I've enjoyed for the past four weeks is the kind gained by watching hours of trashy telly. 


So this post comes from the point of view of a rather frustrated Amy, longing to get out and explore the area we've just moved to so it may have a slightly different tone to it than initially intended.


However, let me set a scene:


It's the middle of the week. Your head is, quite frankly, scrambled. You're having a long and busy week at work, you've got a million and one life admin tasks to think about and not enough brain capacity to do so and however hard you try to sit down with a cuppa on the sofa to relax you can't because you're surrounded by house jobs that are rapidly piling up too. You've got a headache simply from all the thinking and feel like your head may just implode. 


Most probably an average evening for a lot of us. 


This is when I find it helpful to pop on my coat and shoes and head outside for a walk, where without any distractions I can actually clear my head and properly relax. 


And it definitely doesn't just apply to that situation; maybe it's a morning walk to clear your head before work, maybe it's a drive out somewhere rural at the weekend for some proper countryside air; it's simply the sense of getting away from normal life to a place where you don't need to think about anything other than putting one foot in front of the other and drinking in your surroundings that's important. 


If the first lockdown last year did one good thing for me, it was that it forced me to go out for a walk every single day. Funny how I could probably have gone a week without doing so before then, but as soon as time spent outdoors was restricted I willingly grasped whatever I could get. And those daily walks became something of a lifeline; they sorted my head out at a very strange and overwhelming time.


And so it continues; walking, as boring and ordinary as it may sound, is now one of my favourite things to do. It's made up of every simple pleasure I can think of; fresh air, exercise, nature, proper conversation with no distractions or interruptions. To me it's the epitome of just being, which I find completely relaxing and grounding.


So the next time you're struggling to switch off and relax, I'd highly recommend you pop on your coat and shoes and head outside. 


Amy x



Comments

  1. Yess! I've always felt the same about running as you describe here. I can't run for toffee now though. Ahh. Hope your ankle is better now?

    Corinne x
    https://skinnedcartree.com

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    1. I really miss running too! Annoyingly I think it's going to be a while until it's fully better! xx

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  2. I love walking too and find it really helps life my mood and general wellbeing especially on a sunny day!

    Hope your ankle is feeling better.
    Gemma x
    https://www.jacquardflower.uk

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    1. Yes the sun makes all the difference too! Thanks Gemma hope you're well xx

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  3. Oh no! I'm sorry to hear about your ankle! Hopefully it heals quickly.

    I love walking, especially in the fall. The air feels so clean (and it's less humid!). I had the opposite experience with lockdown walks: I did less of it. I was just too anxious about everything to gather the energy, I think. But I'm getting back into walking again now and I'm hoping to get out most evenings this fall.

    Erin
    http://erinmacneil.blogspot.ca

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    1. Thank you, fingers crossed! Yes autumn walks are so good, the air feels so crisp. Glad you're getting back into walking now xx

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  4. Such a beautiful sunset! I agree, it's so nice just getting out and walking in nature - we loved exploring all the local trails around us during lockdown last year, there are so many bush walks around, we are so lucky.

    Sorry to hear you hurt your ankle though - really hope that you are able to recover quickly so you can get back to enjoying walking :)


    Away From The Blue

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    1. Thanks Mica! Yes we're lucky with our local area too and it definitely made us appreciate it more! xx

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  5. Sorry to hear you've hurt your ankle! I loved this post and your style of writing - I definitely need to take more time to go out for walks to clear my head x
    J E M M A ♡ www.ohhjemma.com

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    1. Thank you so much! It's so refreshing and helpful, especially with the weather being so lovely at the moment! xx

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