Want
Some Relaxation? Try Walking... by Dee Marx-Kelly
America is obsessed with fitness, or perhaps the idea or appearance of fitness. Sometimes we overlook the obvious: activity feels good, and makes us feel better. Our bodies were made to move, and in modern times our stress levels are often disproportionate to our activity levels. Walking, and other activities are fine for physical fitness, but it's also great as a relaxation, stress-reduction and self-renewal activity.
The best thing about walking is that you can do it just about anywhere. If it's rainy, try mall-walking. If you have a few minutes, while waiting to have lunch with a friend (who has called to say they will be 10 minutes late) you can spend that time enjoying some gentle movement, appreciating the Spring sunshine. Just remember to keep some walking shoes in the car! Fitness experts have recently backed off of the old advice that in order to benefit from exercise, we need at least 20 minutes of sustained activity. It appears that there are fitness benefits to be derived from any activity, even when we catch a few minutes here and there. This is certainly true of relaxation as well, as long as you remember to focus on the experience and enjoy the moment.
It's possible the you will
have to learn to enjoy walking, if you've never done so. Besides
doing some very gentle stretching for a few moments when you start out, you'll
benefit from a moment of gentle "mind stretching": take a
moment
for a slow, deep breath or two. Notice the pleasant things about your
surroundings. Perhaps the trees have burst into glorious blossom!
Or, you notice that fresh green of trees or bushes that seems to appear only in
the Spring. Or the clouds are fluffy against the blue sky. This
mental shift from life or job stresses can help you to enjoy your present
activity.
Some people find that relaxation
is aided by listening to music. If you choose to do so, it's a good idea
to experiment a little bit. If you listen to the "same old"
music that you hear day in, day out, you're likely to find that you don't really
hear it. It just becomes background noise, and may increase (rather than
decrease) stress. Try listening to something different. Perhaps Enya,
or Irish folk music, or French popular songs. What about pan flutes, or light-hearted
classical or opera? The idea is to actively enhance your window of
relaxation.
Stop, throughout your walk, to notice if you are relaxing and enjoying---or if you're falling back into the "driven" work mode from which many of us operate. Smell the flowers, and enjoy the sunshine! Remember to appreciate your feelings, both physical and emotional. If you learn to do this, walking can become a mini-getaway, that refreshes and restores.
Dee Marx-Kelly is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, in San Jose. She welcomes questions or comments. She can be reached at 408.246.3525, or by e-mail at dmk@surfnetusa.com.
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