5 Smart Shifts That Turn Your Daily Afternoon Walk Into a Stress Relieving Oasis

Throughout this quarantine I have been using my afternoon walk as a break so that I can relieve stress and re-energize half way through the day.

There are a few shifts, either in mindset or perception that will allow this afternoon walk to become a stress relieving oasis. . . seems a little dramatic, I know. . . but I think we all could use a stress relieving oasis lately.

1. Ditch the "Exercise is Punishment" Mindset.

As kids, we were taught that when we misbehaved or talked too much, we should run a lap, or do some push-ups.

Now, as adults we may think that exercise is punishment for something that we ate.

We need to ditch these mindsets so that we can view exercise as respite.

2. As you start your walk, shake off stress, worry, anxiety, drama, fear, emotions, etc. (as if you are shaking water off your hands like there are no paper towels in the restroom).

Imagine all the stress, worry, drama, anxiety just floating away.

3. Anchor yourself- look up at the sky and remind yourself that you are one tiny piece in the grand scheme of things. This helps us to re-frame our stress because it reminds us that stress and this pandemic is temporary.

4. Start off with a prayer, thank God for your blessings and your life. Choose an intention.

What do you want to feel during this walk? Peace, hope, joy, etc. Our brain will find a way to confirm what we believe is true. So if we choose the intention of peace during our walk, our brain will subconsciously find things that confirms our peace intention.

5. Choose something to notice on your walk. I have a lot of ditches where I live, so I always look for turtles, birds, squirrels, etc. You can also choose to notice things like: dogs, kids, yellow cars, flowers, bikers, etc.

By making your afternoon a stress relieving oasis, you can separate the stressors of your day. It helps to lower stress levels, energize your body, and find joy.