Thursday, March 12, 2009

Reduce Anxiety and Stress by Getting Outdoors

If you are suffering with anxiety and stress, sometimes just a short break outdoors will help. Spring is almost here, and the weather is becoming more and more lovely. You may not notice it, though, it you are cooped up indoors worrying about your troubles.

Getting outdoors for a short walk can help in several ways:
  • fresh air and light exercise is a mood booster
  • noticing your surroundings can give you a break from worry
  • it may help you reconnect with nature and your own body, so you feel less "spacey"
  • the new field of "ecopsychology" is showing that time in nature is very healing emotionally

How to get started:

  • start where you are, with a short walk down the street or around the block
  • pay attention to sensations such as the sun on your face, or the breeze in your hair
  • notice the natural world around you, even if it is only a tree on a city street, or a weed pushing through a crack in the pavement
  • tell your worries you are on a short break and will get back to them soon enough

I hope these short tips have been helpful. For more information on stress reduction, see my website http://www.2bstressfree.com for a short article on three easy ways to relieve stress.

Kate Boswell MFT is a therapist in private practice in Marina del Rey. She helps people get past anxiety and fear, and take steps toward the kind of lives they want to live. She can be reached at 310-658-3158 and through http://www.2bstressfree.com

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