LET’S GO FOR A WALK TODAY! Written by Margje de Rooij, Relapse Prevention Specialist

We all know that going out and exploring nature offers many health benefits. It can help to reduce stress, improve your sleeping patterns, and positively impact your physical health. Within mental health settings, there is also an increasing interest in moving away from the traditional therapy room and heading for the outdoors instead. The Kusnacht Practice has embraced this approach, offering Walk & Talk sessions in the forests and woods near Zurich.

The 'walk' part can be seen metaphorically as starting to move forward, setting change in motion - one step at a time. However, the benefits of walking go beyond this, as it can also help you combat ruminative thoughts and boost emotional well-being.

The 'talk' aspect happens side by side instead of face to face. This less confrontational approach allows you to shift your focus from the therapist to your environment. This approach is built to welcome silences as you flow in and out of a conversation, allowing you to return to your thoughts - giving them structure or attaching meaning to better understand your cognitive, emotional, and behavioural experiences.

Why Walking?

Physical activity works through various systems as a protective factor against physical and mental health conditions. Regular walking improves cardiovascular fitness, prevents heart disease, and helps you to maintain a healthy weight. Walking also promotes better sleep, muscle and joint strengthening, and overall health.

But, the benefits of regular exercise and walking go beyond physical health benefits as it can also help to combat mental health problems such as depression or anxiety. Walking can give you more energy, improve your mood and contribute to general feelings of well-being. A short walk can already help you lower your cortisol levels, making you experience less stress-related symptoms, and the wonderful thing is that these effects can be intensified when you surround yourself with nature.

Benefits of Nature

Within nature, there is an inspiring and ever-changing stage of forms, colours, and smells, which can all be brought to your attention during meditative moments, helping to ground yourself and reduce feelings of anxiety. Research shows that people who are connected to nature are generally happier and report feeling more purpose in their lives. Exposure to nature can also lead to many positive emotions, such as joy, calmness, creativity, as well as increased concentration. Walking can not only help in decreasing our stress hormones but also increase the release of endorphins and dopamine, our "happiness hormones".

These moments of deep thought can also be useful in helping you to regulate your mood and emotions or practice self-care. If you would walk in the woods near Zurich today, you would feel that autumn is in the air; you would smell the crisp air, damp earth, and the first mushrooms. You would see that the trees are slowly letting go of their foliage, seeds, and fruits. You would hear the crunching sound of acorns and beechnuts under your feet and the drying leaves rustling in the trees above. Mindful walking like this - actively being in the present moment with each step you take - can help you become more in touch with your surroundings and inner states to help you process the here and now.

Whether you are suffering from a mental health condition or substance use problems, worrying about a loved one, or stressed out about daily life, why not allow yourself some self-care at the moment? Step out of your daily routine and open your front door to go for a walk. It doesn't matter where to; it doesn't matter for how long. Stepping away from what you were doing, even if it is just for a moment, is all that matters. Take a moment to relax and feel the ground underneath your feet. What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear? Little moments of self-care like these can go a long way.

If you feel that these little moments of self-care are not enough to keep your mental health balanced, please reach out to The Kusnacht Practice or your local care provider for additional support.