A Breath of Fresh Air

How can walking and talking in nature improve my mental health?
Spending time in green space can benefit both our mental and physical wellbeing. There’s research about endorphins and all sorts of science that can explain why the wilderness refreshes us. There are lots of positive effects and combining therapy with walking may be just the step in the right direction for your thoughts and feelings to run wild and free:

• improve your mood

• reduce feelings of stress or anger

• help you take time out and feel more relaxed

• improve your confidence and self-esteem

• help you be more active

• improve your physical health

Walk and talk therapy is a fantastic alternative to sitting indoors face to face and by embracing all the elements of the open, green space of being outside in nature allows you to tap into all your senses.

You can choose to have your sessions indoors or I can listen and support you walking side by side or a combination. Walking and talking can help you to feel more relaxed and some find it easier to start exploring their problems while strolling outside in open space with an added benefit of being active and physically releasing tension and stimulate endorphins for a new deeper and creative ways of thinking.

You will lead and decide the pace of the walk, whether this is a  gentle stroll or quicker paced. So rest assured that you do not need to be super fit and if needed we can sit at intervals during our walk. Our sessions can take place in a number of beautiful and peaceful footpaths around the village, starting from Forge Mill, Ystrad Mynach.

Initial Session 
During our first session we will discuss issues of confidentiality and agree what we will do should we encounter other people during our outdoor therapy session. Regardless of where we are walking, it’s helpful to remember seeing people walking and talking side by side is a very common sight and a client and coach walking side by side does not look any different.

For some people, walking outside might in itself confront issues they would like to address such as a fear of open spaces or a fear of feeling judged for their appearance. Having a coach by your side may ease a return to engaging in social situations. The focus of our walk and talk therapy is not about how fast or far you can walk but on you, your process and what you are comfortable with.

Outdoor therapy can be particularly helpful for those who are feeling trapped in life or are in roles that no longer fit them. Being outdoors and talking about your issues can offer a renewed sense of freedom.

You know, when you walk side by side with someone who is really listening as you “offload”, putting one foot in front of the other and taking fresh air into your lungs. Already things seem better and more manageable.

Couple that with the fact the the person listening is a qualified coach, whose job is to listen, not judge, and who will prompt you to find your own solutions to life’s dilemmas. Support and guide you, keep you buoyant, these sessions will really help you clarify what you are dealing with. Help you see woods through the trees, returning home with a new take on things.

“All the trial and tribulation in life only makes us more beautiful. The truth is like that in nature and in our own souls. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger and the same is true for plants and animals and the earth itself. When we face troubles, we are more beautiful.

As in nature, as in art, so in grace; it is rough treatment that gives souls, as well as stones, their luster. ” Thomas Guthrie