ANTI-LONELINESS
  • Home
  • About
    • Me
    • Loneliness
    • The Project
    • My Team
    • Testimonials
    • Privacy Policy
  • Services
    • Therapy & Counseling
    • Couples Counseling
    • Online Counseling
    • Supervision
    • Internship
    • Support Groups >
      • Divorce Support Group
      • Grief Support Group
  • Academy
    • Academy for All
    • All Courses
    • From Conflict to Connection
    • How to stop Perfectionism
    • How much of a Perfectionist are you?
    • Burnout Recovery: from exhaustion to resilience
    • How to stop Procrastinating
    • Σεμιναριο για τις σχεσεις
    • Divorce Recovery Programme
    • Grief Recovery Programme
  • Blog
    • Loneliness
    • Self-Development
    • Relationships
    • Family
  • RESOURCES
    • Extra Resources
    • In the Media
    • BOOKS >
      • Books for everyone
      • Books for professionals
    • CARDS
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • Me
    • Loneliness
    • The Project
    • My Team
    • Testimonials
    • Privacy Policy
  • Services
    • Therapy & Counseling
    • Couples Counseling
    • Online Counseling
    • Supervision
    • Internship
    • Support Groups >
      • Divorce Support Group
      • Grief Support Group
  • Academy
    • Academy for All
    • All Courses
    • From Conflict to Connection
    • How to stop Perfectionism
    • How much of a Perfectionist are you?
    • Burnout Recovery: from exhaustion to resilience
    • How to stop Procrastinating
    • Σεμιναριο για τις σχεσεις
    • Divorce Recovery Programme
    • Grief Recovery Programme
  • Blog
    • Loneliness
    • Self-Development
    • Relationships
    • Family
  • RESOURCES
    • Extra Resources
    • In the Media
    • BOOKS >
      • Books for everyone
      • Books for professionals
    • CARDS
  • Contact

5 Powerful Benefits of Walking Mindfully in Nature + Tips

24/6/2021

0 Comments

 

5 Powerful Benefits of Walking Mindfully in Nature + Tips

Picture
Yesterday I had an epiphany. After a long day of work, I went walking in nature. I spent a few hours enjoying the view and listening to the chirping birds. As I was amid these natural wonders, I began thinking about the incredible health benefits and therapeutic power of having a short walk in nature. During my journey, I took photos of the sea, admired the tall trees, and noticed the subtle changes in the water. I felt relaxed and in awe, and as I came back, I realized I have to share this experience with you and share with the world the fantastic benefits a short walk in nature can bring to our mental health.

Forest Therapy

Ok, maybe it was not a novel realization. Many people are aware of the benefits of walking in nature. In Japan, they call it forest bathing or forest therapy (shinrin yoku). They describe it as the mindful practice of walking through any natural place and letting your senses absorb everything in. And they call it therapeutic for a reason; it revitalizes us both mentally and physically.
Walking in nature has been found to have positive effects on healthy people and those that struggle with mental health disorders. If you struggle with burnout, anxiety, depression, or anything else, we strongly suggest you add 'walking in nature' to your treatment plan.
And, if you are not sure yet, here we share some proven benefits of walking in nature:

1. Physical Health Benefits

Walking in nature can have surprisingly positive effects on our body. Naturally, being active and stretching our legs is beneficial in and of itself. But there are other physical benefits that might be less obvious. When we go out on a walk in nature, what happens first in our body is that our blood pressure decreases. This means that we feel a little calmer. Our stress hormones, such as cortisol, are lowered, and our breathing becomes more relaxed. Therefore, walking in nature at least once a week can help us improve our heart condition and prevent us from developing many illnesses such as heart disease and postural syndromes.

Related:

How Mindfulness Affects Our Brain and Body: 6 Proven Benefits [ARTICLE]

2. Changes In Your Brain and Cognition

One lesser-known fact about walking in nature is that it can affect and change our brains and cognition. Cognition refers to mental processes such as memory and attention. And, indeed, it has been found that walking in nature can significantly help our short-term memory. 

When we are walking, we focus on what is happening at the present moment; we start soaking everything in and actively try to remember what we are seeing and sensing. This inevitably helps our memory as we train our brain to retain immediate information better. Improving our short-term memory can be very helpful for our everyday lives and help us recover from the negative consequences of some mental disorders. For example, burnout and depression can cause loss of memory. By walking out in nature, we can help our brain restore that function.
​

Similarly, walking in nature can help us boost our attention. Many eye-opening studies have demonstrated this effect and how it can even help children that struggle with ADHD. Even a short walk of 15 minutes in the park can significantly help.

3. Boosting Your Immune System

Another surprising benefit of walking in nature is the wonders it can do for our immune system. Walking outside can boost our immunity and help restore our cells. While walking, we can feel its rejuvenating effect in our body as we breathe more oxygen in and exhale all our troubles away. Breathing fresh air not only feels pleasant but is a great way to boost our immune system. The fresh air can help us build a stronger response against viruses, colds, and the flu. And who wouldn’t like to spend fewer days of the year sick in bed?

4. Becoming More Mindful

Perhaps my favorite benefit from walking out in nature is that it can help you become more mindful. Becoming more mindful means living in the present moment - not in the past and not in the future. It means to observe everything we are sensing, without judgment.

When you are outside in nature, you cannot help but look around in awe and use all your senses. You listen to the birds chirping, observe the unique colors and smell the intoxicating scent of the blossoming flowers. This is what mindful walking is. You don’t need difficult meditation practices, just to focus on your senses. This is the best and easiest meditation practice you can try.

Mindful walking can also bring up feelings of awe for what is around you. You might ask yourself, “how did this happen?” “How did this plant survive the winter, even though it has these fragile branches?” You cannot help but notice what is around you and let it inspire you. 

Going on frequent nature walks can help you foster mindfulness in your everyday life. It can help you become more grounded in the present moment instead of overthinking the past or what the future will bring. This is why mindfulness can help you overcome issues related to burnout, anxiety, and depression.

Related:

Get Your 1-Page Guide on How to Deal With Overthinking in 1 Minute [FREE GUIDE]

5. Fostering Gratitude

The last benefit of walking in nature is related to an essential element for living a happy life; gratitude. When walking through nature, you begin to appreciate everything that is around you. You feel grateful to be where you are, to have the opportunity to experience all the wonders that surround you. Among all the grandiosity of nature, you gain perspective and understand that sometimes our troubles might not be as big as they seemed. 

Going on walks in nature where you get to practice mindfulness and gratitude is something that your brain will thank you for the rest of the week. Even if you do it a few times a month, the energy that you will take from being in contact with nature, even for a couple of minutes or hours, is immense; it's life-changing.

Mindful Walking Tips & Exercises

Perhaps you have gone walking in nature in the past and did not feel these wonderful benefits. Maybe you still felt distracted by your thoughts or did not feel grateful at all. This is why we have compiled a few tips that might help you get the best out of your walks in nature.

Related:

Self-Love and Self-Compassion [COURSE]

Five Senses Mindfulness Exercise

There is a very simple mindfulness exercise that can help you enjoy the present moment and stop focusing on any thoughts clouding your mind. 

The Five Senses exercise goes like this:
1. Notice 5 things that you can see
2. Notice 4 things that you can hear
3. Notice 3 things that you can feel
4. Notice 2 things that you can smell
5. Notice 1 thing that you can taste

You can change the order depending on your preferred senses; it will still work. Try to focus on little things, such as noticing the tiny ant that lost its trail, a small mushroom growing on tree bark, or a red bird bringing food to its nest. Just keep naming things you see, listen, smell, touch, feel or taste until you feel in the mindfulness state. You will certainly notice when you are in the state.

PRO TIP: This exercise can also help if you are experiencing a panic attack, so it is worth learning how to practice it.

Mindful Photography

As you are doing the Five Senses exercise, you can go ahead and capture in pictures the beautiful details that you have observed in your surroundings. They will make a beautiful reminder of what you experienced and help you appreciate and savor the simple pleasures and beauty of life.

After your walk, you can revisit the photographs and remember what you experienced and sensed. You can reflect if there are any underlying themes in the photographs you chose to take and write down what you learned from the whole experience.

Related:

How to Practice Mindfulness at Work: 5 Easy Tips [ARTICLE]

Final Words

Walking in nature has many proven benefits for our mental and physical wellbeing. It can help our physical body, but it can also improve our cognition, change our brain and help us foster important practices such as mindfulness and gratitude. All this together makes it a perfect recipe for supporting us in our mental health journey.

We would love to know how often you go outside in nature and spend time mindfully. Share with us if you have had different experiences with nature, if perhaps it does not help you, or it makes you feel restless or agitated.

If you liked this article, put on your shoes, your sandals or crocs and head out to the nearest nature area. Stay safe and until next time!

What's next?

  • Sign up for my newsletter here and get the FREE 40-page guide/workbook on Self-Care filled with practical tips that can make your life more peaceful and balanced.  
  • Get your FREE Guide "How much of a Perfectionist are you?" and find out which of the features you own are highly related to your Perfectionism.
  • Visit AntiLoneliness Academy for more workshops and courses on Self-Growth and Relationships. 
  • ​Book recommendations on Mindfulness and Anxiety Support:
    • Wherever you go, there you are 
    • Don't believe everything you feel
    • Practicing Mindfulness
    • Mindfulness workbook for teens
  • Watch our videos with Psychology tips and insights on Relationships, Perfectionism, Anxiety, Burnout, etc. 
  • Read more articles on Relationships, Self-Development, Loneliness, and Perfectionism here: Blog. ​
  • Don't let anxiety pull you down, contact me and start your own therapy journey in order to get you out of this negative circle. ​
  • Join our Facebook page and Instagram page and read more posts about self-development. ​
Picture
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Self-Development

    TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE.


    Know Yourself. 
    YOU are responsible for how you feel. The others behave in the way they want, but they have nothing to do with the way you perceive their behavior and consequently how you feel. 
    It's merely your decision. 

    Categories

    All
    Acceptance
    Achievement
    Addiction
    Alone
    Anger
    Angry
    Antiloneliness
    Anxiety
    Apps
    Attachment
    Autism
    Avoidance
    Balance
    Belonging
    Blocking-feelings
    Blocking-feelings
    Body
    Books
    Boundaries
    Brain
    Broken Heart
    Burnout
    Busy Women
    Calm
    Cbt
    Change
    Childhood
    Christmas
    Colouring-book
    Comfort-zone
    Comparisons
    Compassion
    Compassionate
    Confusion
    Connection
    Control
    Cope
    Coping-mechanism
    Coping Mechanisms
    Copping Strategies
    Coronavirus
    Counseling
    Critic
    Criticism
    Cycle Of Negative Thinking
    Cycle Of Negativity
    Decision
    Decision-making
    Decision-making
    Delaying
    Denial
    Depressed
    Depression
    Disappointment
    Discomfort
    Discomfrot
    Eating Disorders
    Emotional Awareness
    Emotional Eating
    Emotional Intelligence
    Emotional Needs
    Emotional Support Animal
    Emotional Triggers
    Emotions
    Empath
    Empathy
    Escape Negative Thinking
    Expat Life
    Express Anger
    Failure
    Family
    Fear
    Fear-of-failure
    Fears
    Feelings
    Focus
    Food
    Forest Therapy
    Freedom
    Gerascophobia
    Giving Up
    Goal
    Good Enough
    Grateful
    Grief
    Guilt
    Gutbrain-connection
    Gut-feeling
    Happiness
    Help
    Highly Sensitive Person
    High Standards
    Holidays
    Hope
    Hopelessness
    How-to-make-the-right-decision
    Hsp
    Imperfection
    Inner Critic
    Inner-critic
    Inner Peace
    Intuition
    Joy
    Judging
    Kindness
    Laziness
    Learned Helplessness
    Learning
    Life
    Loneliness
    Love
    Make The Perect Decision
    Meaning
    Meditation
    Mental Health
    Migraine
    Mindfullness
    Mindfulness
    Mistakes
    Motivation
    Narcissism
    Nature
    Negative Spiral
    Negative Thinking
    Negative Thinking Pattern
    Negative Thoughts
    New Year Resolution
    Not Alone
    Other People's Opinion
    Pain
    Pandemic
    Panic Attacks
    Parenting
    Parents
    Partner
    Perfectionism
    Perfectionist
    Physical Symptoms
    Postponing
    Present
    Procrastination
    Psychologist
    Psychology
    Psychosomatics
    Psychosomatic-symptoms
    PTSD
    Relationships
    Relief
    Rest
    Ruminating
    Sadness
    Safety
    Scared
    Schemas
    Self Awareness
    Self Care
    Self Compassion
    Self-compassion
    Self Confidence
    Self-doubt
    Self Esteem
    Self-esteem
    Self Improvement
    Self-improvement
    Self Kindness
    Self-kindness
    Self Love
    Self-love
    Self Sabotage
    Sensitive
    Service Dog
    Shame
    Shock
    Signs
    Sleep
    Smartphones
    Social Media
    Stress
    Struggle
    Struggling
    Suffer
    Suffering
    Support
    Suppressed Anger
    Suppression
    Technology
    Therapy
    Therapy Dog
    The Right Decision
    Thinking
    Threat
    Time-management
    Tips
    Toxic Shame
    Trauma
    Trauma Response
    Trigger
    Trust
    Uncertainty
    Values
    Vassia-sarantopoulou
    Vassia-sarantopoulou
    What-to-do
    Women
    Work
    Workaholism
    Work Life Balance
    Workload
    Workplace
    Workplan
    Workshop
    Worrying

    RSS Feed

Counseling

Personal Counseling
Couples Counseling
OnLine Counseling 
​
GROUP COUNSELING 

​Grief Support
Divorce Support 
​Therapy Group 

Blog

Loneliness
​Self-Development
Relationships
​Family 

About

Me
​My Team
Contact 
​The Cards
Privacy Policy ​
NIP Psycholoog
Vassia Sarantopoulou
Head Psychologist - Founder of AntiLoneliness

​Therapy for expats and locals 
Leiden - The Hague - online 
​

Member of the Netherlands Institute of Psychologists (NIP)

© COPYRIGHT 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.