How Walking Every Day Can Benefit Your Mental Health
Apr 20, 2022
If you're looking for a way to boost your mental health, you should consider walking every day. Walking has been shown to have many benefits for the mind, including reducing stress levels, improving moods, and helping with problem-solving.
In this blog post, we'll discuss why walking is so good for your mental health and provide some tips on how to get started and stick with it!
Why you should walk
There are many reasons walking might be a good option for improving your mental health.
Great for your mood
Walking is a great way to get some exercise, which has been shown to improve moods and reduce stress levels. Exercise releases endorphins, which have mood-boosting effects. In addition, walking can help you clear your head and gather your thoughts. Taking a walk is a great way to get some fresh air and relax.
Get in touch with the real world
When you sit around at home all day and let the negativity coming from social media, TV, and news sources bombard your brain, it's no wonder you feel unhappy and stressed out. Walking can help you get in touch with the real world, which is a great antidote to all of the negative stimulation we experience every day. When you're walking, you're paying attention to your surroundings and taking everything in. This can help you gain a new perspective on life and the problems you're facing.
Helps with creativity and problem solving
Walking has been shown to be helpful for problem-solving. If you need to come up with an idea or solution to a problem, taking a walk can help stimulate your brain and give you some new perspectives. For centuries, creative people have used walking as a way to stimulate their brains and digest information. Great thinkers like Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, and Friedrich Nietzsche all walked for hours every day to help them come up with new ideas.
Helps you understand and digest information better
Walking can also help you better understand yourself. When you take the time to walk and think, you can process information in a deeper way. This can help you learn more about your thoughts, feelings, and motivations. Walking every day can be a great way to increase your self-awareness!
Getting started walking
If you're interested in giving walking a try for your mental health, here are some tips to get started and stay consistent:
- Start small. You don't need to walk for hours every day to see the benefits. Try starting with a 5-minute walk and work your way up from there.
- Find a walking buddy. Walking with a friend can make the experience more fun and social.
- Make it a routine. Try to walk every day, or at least several times a week. This will help you get into the habit and see the benefits quicker!
- Leave your phone at home. Walking while you're on your phone can be a major distraction. Instead, focus on your surroundings and take in the fresh air!
I found that walking and journaling right after taking a walk is a great way to start your day. It gives me time to process the thoughts that I had during my walk and to start my day with a clear head. Doing this without the interruptions of my phone, work, or other responsibilities has been really helpful in terms of my mental health.