Walk It Off: How this simple activity improves mental health.

Ever notice when you’re upset, and you just go for a walk to clear your head you often feel better afterwards?

Turns out there’s several reasons why this simple activity can make such a big difference in your mood.

Put very simply, the left side of the brain is most active with your thoughts and language, those fake conversations that keep you angry, or the “what if” scenarios that keep you feeling anxious and stressed. The right side of the brain is most active with emotions and the physical sensations that come from those like feeling restless, on edge, and amped up when you’re stressed or worried about something.

In order for the brain to process and file situations and events that have caused you the stress, worry or anger you’re feeling, it needs to acknowledge both the data and the emotions. It needs both sides of the brain to come together, integrate their experiences, and then file it, often when you’re asleep.

When you’re sleeping and get to the dreaming stage, that’s REM sleep, rapid eye movement. Your eyes go side to side while the brain grabs the data from the left and the emotions from the right, blends them together for some weird-ass dreams and then it gets filed away or just deleted if there’s nothing useful for the brain to store long-term.

And that’s where walking is so helpful and easy.

Walking uses both sides of the body which activates both sides of the brain. Both sides must work together, which means one side—the thoughts or the emotions—are not more in control or louder than the other. This makes the thoughts, or the emotions feel less intense.

As you walk, your eyes naturally go side to side to scan your path to make sure you don’t trip or nothing jumps out in front of you, so you are replicating the REM stage of sleep and the mental processing while you’re awake. You don’t even have to be consciously aware of it happening but if you’ve got something stressful on the mind and you go for a walk, the brain will process it without you having to obsessively think about it.

The distraction of the walk and what you’re noticing keeps you consciously in the present moment, again you don’t want something jumping out of the bushes, so you pay attention. You wonder if the passing dog is friendly or is going to bark at you, you notice a rustle in the trees and see a squirrel, or you notice some kids playing in their yard on your street and it brings back a memory connected to your current present moment experience. All while your brain is processing in the background without your interference.

Without you obsessing over the problem and getting your whole brain, thoughts, sensations, physical movement combined with what you hear, see, feel, and smell, all working together, often you come up with the best solutions to the problem that was on your mind. This is similar to how taking a shower can lead to some of your best ideas or solutions. If you let the problem go, focus on the present moment and activate both sides of your brain, it processes and then reveals an idea or answer.

The brain also likes to be in a state of balance with your body, homeostasis. If your thoughts are stressful the body will respond with tension. If your stomach is upset and you label it anxiety the brain will come up with reasons to feel anxious to match your physical state.

If you’re going for a walk at a leisurely pace in an area where you feel safe and you pass people with friendly dogs who smile, the dogs or the people, whichever, while listening to the sounds of the birds, it can be rather peaceful and relaxing. If you’re physically feeling safe, at peace and relaxed or even curious about what you’ll see on this walk, it’s hard for the brain to come up with reasons to be stressed, anxious and angry. It just doesn’t match your physical state and it wouldn’t be in homeostasis. That’s why it's hard to feel stressed and anxious while getting a massage, same concept.

Going for a brisk walk that gets your heart rate up also helps the body burn through the adrenaline you’ve accumulated during your workday and after 20-30 minutes, shifts the adrenaline into an endorphin which shifts you from fight or flight mode to feeling strong, confident, and able to handle what life throws at you. Endorphins are a great mood booster and walking is an easy exercise to create them.

The Benefits of Nature Itself

Notice my description of walking refers to being outside.

The brain generalizes anything it thinks is a threat from your work environment to keep you safe in the outside world. If you work in a prison, you’re stuck indoors with little to no natural light or fresh air and even if you work on the yard, you’re surrounded by a cage with no true freedom.

You also lack the freedom to simply walk out if you get mandated for another shift. Going home to the same four walls reminds the brain of being boxed in, locked in, stuck, stagnant, without freedom and that generalizes to being in prison still and all the emotions that come with it.

Getting outside shows the brain you are free and there’s far less stimuli in nature to connect to your experience of the work environment.

Nature is also good for your physical health.

Trees and plants give off airborne chemicals to protect themselves called phytoncides. Breathing in these chemicals increases the number and activity of your white blood cells which helps kill viruses and germs in your own body. Nature boosts your immune system.

Live near a beach or taking a vacation? Walking on the sand burns 30 percent more calories than manmade surfaces. Also, the ocean air is filled with negative ions which can help treat symptoms of depression and anxiety, while the salt particles can thin mucus, improve lung function, reduce coughing, and decrease sinus pressure. You’ll truly breathe easier.

Ultraviolet light from the sun converts cholesterol into vitamin D. Getting just 10 minutes every day is a good way of lowering your cholesterol, which can improve heart health.

Walking in warmer weather helps blood vessels enlarge, allowing for improved blood circulation. And the warmth decreases the pain of arthritis.

Want to boost the effects of a walk? Go barefoot.

Also called grounding, putting your bare feet on the earth allows you to absorb the negative ions which help neutralize free radicals which damage cells in your body. They also help your body detox. Connecting with the electromagnetic frequency of the earth activates the calming nervous system which promotes a decrease in stress, anxiety, insomnia, inflammation, and various other issues caused by an overactive high stressed nervous system.

So, the next time you’re feeling amped up, stressed, or got too much on your mind, truly, go walk it off.

Next Steps

If you want the effects of grounding and the electromagnetic frequencies of nature but don’t always have the time or the weather to be barefoot in the grass, check out the Tera P90 device.