Walking in Nature and Its Effects on Addiction Recovery

When working through your recovery journey, many different practices can help in your treatment. When looking at all options, it can seem so overwhelming with the other stressful aspects of recovery. Luckily, there is a simple activity that has an incredible amount of benefits and is easy to implement. That activity is walking. It may not be the most obvious choice, however, walking in nature is a great place to start when it comes to improving your mental and physical health.

The Benefits of Walking

There are many benefits of walking and walk therapy that can help with your recovery process. Walking allows the body to engage in physical activity and can be a strong outlet for developing positive coping skills without the stress and severity of a full workout routine.

From a scientific standpoint, walking has many benefits. While there are obvious benefits, such as promoting physical fitness, there are some less obvious benefits as well. Walking increases oxygen flow throughout the body, increasing the amount of oxygen reaching your brain. Having higher levels of oxygen in your brain can reduce anxiety and boost your mental health.

Walking in Nature and Recovery

Through early recovery, it can be difficult to know what to do with all the free time you have now that you are not using substances or alcohol. Walking is a great way to fill that time without feeling the desire to fall into old habits. At Healing Pines Recovery, we highly encourage you to explore nature with walk therapy. Exploring the nature around you can help with many different aspects of your recovery.

There is a natural healing response that occurs when being in nature. Nature allows you to disconnect from the world around you and appreciate what the world has to offer. When you unplug and go for a nature walk, you will find that your levels of anxiety are greatly reduced. At Healing Pines Recovery center there are 40 acres for you to explore and appreciate.

With sobriety, it is important to build healthy lifestyle habits. Walking is a perfect habit to start with as it provides amazing benefits:

• It is low maintenance:  Some activities can seem like too much to start with. When walking, you do not have to prepare much. You can just slide on some shoes and you are ready to go. Walk as short of a distance as needed to get your body adjusted to walking more if this is not a regular habit for you currently.
• You are in control: While in treatment, it can feel like you have little control over what goes on. Especially after overcoming involuntary aspects of addiction. With walking, you have full control. You control the pace of the walk and how long or short you want to go.
• It can lead to other therapeutic activities: You may find that you enjoy physical activity and want to try different fitness routines. On the other hand, you may find that you just enjoy being in nature and want to meditate outside more often. Walking opens the door to a lot of different physical and mental health-oriented activities to implement as you further your recovery process.

Walk Therapy Recovery Benefits

Walk therapy can be incredibly beneficial to the recovery process because, not only does it solely focus on the action itself, but it also focuses on the whole experience. While walking provides many physical benefits, it can be mentally beneficial as well. At Healing Pines Recovery, we offer many different outdoor activities and programs that include walking.

In recovery there are many highs and lows, somedays it can be difficult to get out of bed. Walking can help motivate you to get up and start the day. It can be a great time to meditate and focus on releasing negative thoughts, starting your day out strong.

Get Out of Your Head

Often in recovery, you will experience signs of depression or anxiety. When you are walking, whether in nature or just around your neighborhood,  you will find that you have to be aware of your surroundings. This means that your brain has to focus on other things and cope with the anxious or depressed feelings that arise. A study done by The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health shows evidence that long-distance walking can help promote mental health wellness.

Building Relationships

Although it may not seem like it, walking is a great way to build new relationships. Try taking a friend or a loved one with you on a walk. You may be surprised at how much fun you will have. There are many times when you might get caught up in your phone or distracted by TV, straying you away from the conversation. Walking is a great tool for strengthening the relationships in your life and creating meaningful moments.

Overall, it is hard to outweigh the benefits that walking has. It is the perfect activity to do when first starting your recovery journey. You may think that it is too simple to have any real effect, but once you have tried it you will see how incredible you feel afterward. Enjoy the benefits of a simple action you use daily and allow it to benefit your recovery success.

Walk therapy can be beneficial to the process of recovery, as well as your mental health. When using walk therapy, nature is an excellent resource. Healing Pines Recovery has 40 acres of mountains, pine trees, and outdoor exploration to help you connect with nature. Not only does this allow you to fully explore the benefits of walking in a calm setting, but allows you to feel a sense of serenity and clarity in the great outdoors.

At Healing Pines Recovery we offer many different options to fulfill your recovery needs. We are here to help you discover simple actions, such as walking, that can make a life-changing difference in your recovery journey.

If you or someone you know who identifies as male and is seeking further help with the recovery process, please do not hesitate to reach out to Healing Pines Recovery at (720) 575-2621.