New Year, New Perspective: How Walk & Talk Therapy Can Kickstart Positive Change
I’m not sure exactly how I’ll take on 2025 yet, but I hold the hope that it won’t be from an "I should" mindset. Instead, I wonder if thinking more about what we genuinely desire makes it easier to start new things or make meaningful changes.
For example, many people feel deep down that therapy may help them, but the idea of starting it can feel overwhelming or even intimidating. It can be a common feeling when you feel something is likely to be good for you, you can been scared. It often takes courage to take a first step.
If you’ve made a list of desires or goals for the New Year, and therapy is on it, have you considered walk-and-talk therapy? I’ve found this approach to be transformative. It not only reduces the stress of starting therapy but also makes it easier to stick with it.
One reason I love walk-and-talk therapy is because walking itself is actually super powerful.. It acts as a grounding technique—a practice that connects your mind and body while helping you engage with the world around you. This connection is key to improving emotional regulation and finding balance.
As we continue to learn more about neuroscience, we gain a deeper understanding of why walking and talking can be so effective in therapy. It combines movement, nature, and conversation in a way that feels less formal but profoundly healing.
Here’s why this works on a deeper level, backed by the latest science:
Boosts Mood and Reduces Anxiety
Endorphin Release: Walking triggers the release of endorphins, often referred to as "feel-good" hormones, which can reduce stress and improve mood.
Decreased Cortisol Levels: Regular walking helps lower cortisol, the stress hormone, reducing feelings of anxiety.
Enhances Brain Function
Neurogenesis: Walking promotes the growth of new neurons (neurogenesis), especially in the hippocampus, the area of the brain associated with memory and emotional regulation.
Regulates the Nervous System
Gentle, rhythmic movement activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the "rest and digest" system), which calms the body and mind.
The Benefits of the Outdoors
Walking outdoors adds extra benefits through exposure to nature, which has been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and increase feelings of well-being.
I work in Dunfermline, Fife, Edinburgh and West Lothian, all with great choices in terms of green spaces. In Dunfermline, for example, we have the beautiful Glen Park, with beautiful trees, friendly squirrels and peacocks. (photos below from The Glen).
If you’ve been on the fence about therapy, this is your sign to try something new—take the first step and reach out to see how walk-and-talk therapy can help you.
If you are already a fan of walking there is a great programme to listen to:
Womans Hour on the 1st of January - entitled “Walking - A Woman’s Hour special”
This episode is a must listen up if you are into walking, being in the outdoors and trying to figure out who to ensure the outdoors and walking are part of your 2025.
Listen here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002699c
Here are the details from BBC sounds on the content of the programme - it starts with the moving story of Miranda Hart’s journey back from illness, through to the writers, musicians, history and more activists walking from baby groups and Black Girls Hike. I think it’s a really interesting listen.
