We are almost two years into the Covid pandemic, and I believe that I am not the only one who finds it difficult to cope with the feelings of stress and fatigue during this period. The truth is, we all have our ways of coping during these challenging times, and what keeps me sane during this period is regularly taking time out for a short walk. Even a 10-minute walk daily, as a form of exercise, can significantly boost our overall physical and mental well-being. The best part is, walking is free and can be done almost anywhere! It is also one of the easiest forms of exercise to incorporate into our daily routine.

“The more a person walks has a very real and immediate psychological effect that an individual can experience every day.” -Thayer (Professor of Psychology at California State University)

Below are four science-backed mental health benefits of walking:

1. Less Rumination and Negative Thinking

Taking a walk helps declutter our mind and reduces repetitive negative thinking. A study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, found that this is especially true when we take a walk in a natural setting (i.e outdoor environment with greenery). It was found that 19 participants who went on a 90-minute walk through a natural environment reported lower levels of rumination and showed reduced neural activity in an area of the brain linked to risk for mental illnesses, as compared to walking in urban areas. These results also suggest that accessible natural areas may be crucial for our mental health in a rapidly urbanising world. Other studies have also supported the fact that there is a strong link between nature and our mental-well-being. People show lesser depressive symptoms after being exposed to nature.

2. Boost Mood and Reduces Stress

Studies have found that walking helps to generate positive moods and increase one’s self-confidence and mindfulness. Walking helps boost your mood because it increases blood flow and blood circulation to the brain and body. Walking as a form of exercise helps to calm our nervous system as it produces endorphins which are chemicals that act as “painkillers” to alleviate stress and anxiety. According to ADAA, even a walk as short as 5-10 minutes can stimulate anti-anxiety effects and can help to reduce stress levels. Walking is also formally prescribed as a medication for patients to help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.

3. Reduces Fatigue

Walking also reduces fatigue! This may seem counterintuitive at first because the reason often given for the refusal to take a walk is often: “I am already tired! I have no energy left for a walk.” But research also suggests that regular walking, as a low-intensity form of exercise, is shown to be able to improve our energy levels in the long-term, and decrease fatigue levels by 65%. Walking helps to promote blood flow across the body and also our brain. The increased blood flow and circulation make us feel more energised.

4. Better Sleep Quality

Walking does not just help us to boost our energy levels but it allows us to rest more effectively too. Regular walking helps our body rest better and get better sleep quality at night. It boosts our sleep hormone, also known as melatonin, which helps with the regulation of our circadian rhythm (24-hour internal clock). According to a recent research, taking more steps during the day is shown to improve the quality of sleep at night among healthy adults who were already getting sufficient duration of rest. As a general rule of thumb, any form of exercises (that raises our heart rate) should be done three hours before bedtime, in order to not adversely impact quality and duration of sleep. 

When it comes to building walking into your daily routine, it is important to start small and go easy on yourself. Sometimes, it is about the quality instead of the duration of the walk, and ultimately, it is about building up a sustainable routine for yourself such that you can consistently reap benefits of it!

*All content here is for informational purposes and does not replace individual professional consultations for mental health questions and issues.

References:

• Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., Hahn, K. S., Daily, G. C., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(28), 8567–8572. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1510459112
• Mathew P. White, Ian Alcock, James Grellier, Benedict W. Wheeler, Terry Hartig, Sara L. Warber, Angie Bone, Michael H. Depledge, Lora E. Fleming. Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing. Scientific Reports, 2019; 9 (1)  10.1038/s41598-019-44097-3
• Miller, J. C., & Krizan, Z. (2016). Walking facilitates positive affect (even when expecting the opposite). Emotion (Washington, D.C.), 16(5), 775–785. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040270
• Sullivan Bisson, A. N., Robinson, S. A., & Lachman, M. E. (2019). Walk to a better night of sleep: testing the relationship between physical activity and sleep. Sleep health, 5(5), 487–494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2019.06.003
• University of Georgia. (2008, March 2). Low-intensity Exercise Reduces Fatigue Symptoms By 65 Percent, Study Finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 20, 2021 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080228112008.htm

Written By:
Jeannette Qhek
BSc in Psychology & Human Resources (Singapore Management University)
Founder of Chill By Nette