Don't Mess with my Morning Walk: It Saves my Life Every Day
See that bay window? It has two rocking chairs inside where I spend many happy hours.
This second floor two bedroom apartment is where my day begins. Every morning I leave it for 30 minutes or more to go on my small adventure.
I love my morning walk. The small Ontario town I live in offers several precious diversions for me. Walking for depression saves my life, every day.
The first thing I see is one of our beautiful tree-lined streets. And yes, that is a tractor! It reminds me that we are surrounded by farmland.
Our playground is a happy diversion on the walk. I admit that I love it the most when it's empty and I can grab a swing, and swing and swing and swing. I loved swinging as a child and I still do! And the view of the town and the farmers' fields is inspiring and soothing and quiet.
I love old houses and being in a neighbourhood full of them is actually therapeutic for me. Just looking at old houses is a depression getaway.
I even get to walk on a brydge over a creek of rushing water which adds some interesting visual as well as audio stimulation.
If you have yet to add some kind of exercise to your depression getaway strategies, maybe this is a good time to review '13 benefits of exercise for mental health'.
Here is how my walk works for me. On a good day it works well from beginning to end. On a good day I go for two walks and enjoy every step, and every sight!
But on a bad day it's an effort. On rare days I am so bad that I just turn around and come home. Sometimes I can't even enjoy my walk until I have been at it for 15 minutes or more. Sometimes it takes a lot of walking to get my brain to kick into a reasonably positive frame of mind. But if I persevere, it works. Gradually the beautiful tree lined streets, the charming old houses, the swings, the brydge and the creek work their magic.
Sometimes, when I am not feeling very good, I have to consciously put one step in front of the other. But if I persevere I am soon walking automatically, like breathing, and the rythmn and the motion do their repairs on my well-being.
If you have been reading this blog for awhile you'll know that my morning walk is my most important and enjoyable depression getaway strategy. I would give up my medication before I would give up walking. And to think that I started this treasured habit long before I knew I would need it to help me manage depression. God knew of course and he helped me to develop an enjoyable habit that I could keep no matter what life throws me.
It reminds me that all is not lost. Sometimes in depression we feel like we have lost everything. But maybe if we think about it, the list of things, passtimes, activities, people and memories that we get to keep, we might discover that this list is longer than the list of things lost.
WHAT ABOUT YOU? How are you feeling today? Could you make a list of things that you have NOT lost? Right now?
Don't give up! There is hope for depression.
This is how my walk ends, my front door. There to greet me is one of my many creations reminding me that once I felt well enough to design and create and I will do it again!
Here is how my walk works for me. On a good day it works well from beginning to end. On a good day I go for two walks and enjoy every step, and every sight!
But on a bad day it's an effort. On rare days I am so bad that I just turn around and come home. Sometimes I can't even enjoy my walk until I have been at it for 15 minutes or more. Sometimes it takes a lot of walking to get my brain to kick into a reasonably positive frame of mind. But if I persevere, it works. Gradually the beautiful tree lined streets, the charming old houses, the swings, the brydge and the creek work their magic.
Sometimes, when I am not feeling very good, I have to consciously put one step in front of the other. But if I persevere I am soon walking automatically, like breathing, and the rythmn and the motion do their repairs on my well-being.
If you have been reading this blog for awhile you'll know that my morning walk is my most important and enjoyable depression getaway strategy. I would give up my medication before I would give up walking. And to think that I started this treasured habit long before I knew I would need it to help me manage depression. God knew of course and he helped me to develop an enjoyable habit that I could keep no matter what life throws me.
It reminds me that all is not lost. Sometimes in depression we feel like we have lost everything. But maybe if we think about it, the list of things, passtimes, activities, people and memories that we get to keep, we might discover that this list is longer than the list of things lost.
WHAT ABOUT YOU? How are you feeling today? Could you make a list of things that you have NOT lost? Right now?
Don't give up! There is hope for depression.
This is how my walk ends, my front door. There to greet me is one of my many creations reminding me that once I felt well enough to design and create and I will do it again!
