Sunday (not-so) scaries - October 22
Let's take a walk. 🌲🥾
Hello, friends! I hope this newsletter finds you well on this fine autumn evening, maybe with a cup of your favorite tea in hand and some cozy socks on your feet.
Inspired by a recent trip to Coniston in the Lake District, I want to talk about the magic of walking in nature and its amazing effects on our mental health. Let's jump right in.
I love long walks and big hikes—ideally ones that end at a pub with a glass of wine and a pack of prawn cocktail crisps.
I recently went back to Coniston for a walking holiday and frankly, I didn’t want to leave. I’m just so happy when I’m surrounded by that scenery, with incredible walks on tap and that sense of real peace and quiet wrapping around me like a weighted blanket. Also, I love pubs, but I digress.
We did 2 long walks: Coppermines Valley (with a lunch stop at Levers Water) and Hawkshead via Tarn Hows, for anyone interested. There really is something therapeutic about it, so I thought I’d list some of the benefits of big nature walks:
💚 Slowing down: When we step into the great outdoors, it's like entering an instant mindfulness zone. The rustling leaves, singing birds, and fresh air no doubt help us to be more present in the moment, slowly loosening the grip anxiety and stress might have thanks to the pressures of daily life.
🌞 Mood booster, stress buster: Stressed out? Take a hike! No, really—nature walks have been shown to lower cortisol levels, the stress hormone, helping you feel more relaxed and centered.
On top of that, sunlight (when you can get it in my part of the UK!) helps your body produce vitamin D, which is linked to improved mood and lower levels of depression. A dose of fresh air and sunshine won’t fix everything, but it truly does work wonders for my mood and motivation.
🚶 Physical activity (in disguise): You don't need to be a gym rat to stay fit and take care of your body. Nature walks are a gentler way to get some exercise minus the ‘ugh’ that comes with schlepping your way to that HIIT class you don’t want to go to. It's a secret workout with a beautiful backdrop.
🧠 Creativity boost: Whenever I go to the Lakes I think about how countless artists found inspiration there—perhaps most notably, the likes of William Wordsworth and his fellow romantic poets. Being immersed in nature, in awe of it all, it’s no wonder they felt moved to write, paint, create.
As cheesy as it might sound, I implore you to go out and let nature be your muse. Even a short walk can spark creativity, helping you solve problems and come up with brilliant ideas and solutions along the way.
🌅 Put things in perspective: There's something incredibly humbling about catching a glorious sunset during a walk, or realising just how small you are against the backdrop of sprawling hills or misty mountains.
In a world where the relentless emails and Teams calls reign supreme, work frustrations boil over, and cost of living concerns simmer in the background, it’s good to dispense with the bullshit (usually capitalism-related) and remind yourself that there's a bigger picture out there.
And it’s during these walks I find myself thinking deeply about what really matters to me, and what I want out of life. It’s a little check-in with myself.
🌻 Disconnect to reconnect: Nature walks are also the perfect opportunity to get unstuck from our screens and reconnect with the world around us. Push past the urge to take too many photos (pics or it didn’t happen, right?) and just be in the moment. Also, the signal is usually pretty bad out there so why bother with it anyway?
So, there you have it, my friends. My case for packing up and going on nature walks; they are like a free therapist, a gym, and a muse all rolled into one.
But you don’t have to go far to reap the benefits—if all you do this week is take a 30-minute walk in the park on your lunch break, that’s a win. You will feel better having moved your body and looked around you instead of at a screen.
Anyway, on that note, I hope you all have a gentle week ahead. Take care of yourselves and remember, the best view comes after the hardest climb. ⛰️
P.S. My friend over at writes about her big walks, so definitely head over and check her out if you enjoyed this!
This makes me want to head back to the lakes!
Alright, alright, fine, I’ll book another holiday in the Lakes already 🫡
In the meantime I’ll be shoving myself out the front door at the earliest opportunity as I need to reap some of these benefits stat ✨