Welcome to our guest mini blog with experts from the world of health and wellness…
This week we’re delighted to welcome Carmen Rendell to share her “3 Pointers”… small, easy to adopt steps we can all make to help us feel better day-to-day, leading to a healthier, happier and more thriving life.
Carmen, aka The Soulwalker is a business and personal therapist and Founder of Soulhub. Here she shares her 3 pointers around the power of talking and how walking in nature changes everything.
Walking and talking in nature
Connecting in nature can temporarily dissolve our ego and connects us back to something much bigger than ourselves.
Would you rather sit in a box and talk about your feelings, or walk amongst the trees? For most people it’s an obvious choice, but it’s not always been an option. Partly born out of my own desire not to sit down all day, I also experienced huge transformation in my own life, and in others when we allow ourselves to be exposed to nature.
Walking in nature, as The Soulwalker, enables me to support others as they heal and evolve. I’m a walking therapist, and take clients into parks, along the coast, (and if distance doesn’t allow, a virtual walk), to create the space for you to explore your emotions and feelings.
I’m a big believer that change happens when you’re ready for it, and so here are my 3 tips for when you’re walking in nature and might be stuck somewhere in your life:
1. Tell your truth
Speak to the trees, the river, the sea. Say out loud what you want to say. As if no-one is listening. Ideally shout it out loud, but if that feels uncomfortable, then just say the words. Once they are out of your body, they are released. This will feel different in your body. There will be a shift. It might not be easy, as it might well mean that you now have to take action. But once the truth is said. E.g. ‘I don’t want to be married.’ Or ‘I’m drinking too much’, ‘I lied to her’, ‘I’m not happy’. Only when you stop lying to yourself can something change. Your body already knows it. It always knows. It’s your mind that’s been playing games with you. It’s time to tell yourself the truth. Trust your own wisdom.
2. Watch your body
Our bodies know. They know everything. Most importantly they inform our minds. But we have to get out of our own way. And we have to listen to our own body. If you have any pain, or any symptoms. Ask it a question. ‘Dear foot, if you had a voice, what would you say to me?’. Talk to your body. And when you’re in nature with someone, watch what your body is saying. Is it tired. Is it uptight. Is it rushing. Is it angry. Is your skin irritated. They’re all signs that something isn’t at peace. Something is out of balance. Nature shows us that life is about balance, and only in balance do we function at our very best.
3. Speak kindly to yourself
It all starts with self. No-one else. Whatever you say, say it nicely. No ‘oh you’re useless, or stupid, or ugly.’ Only ever say kind things, as if you’re saying it to a child or your best friend. Praise your successes. Praise how you are in the world. How you speak, what you say, what you do. It sounds simple, but once you recognise it for yourself, you realise how often you’re not kind. Don’t limit yourself. Watch out for thoughts like ‘I can’t do that.’ Or ‘I’m too tired’. And rephrase them to a positive stance such as ‘Today I’ve prioritised something else more important.’ Or ‘I’m glad to be alive’, and see how different that feels in your vibrational being.
Key Benefits to Walking Therapy
- Quietens our nervous system and balances our internal systems
- Creates space for unconscious exploration
- Repairs our brains and lowers our blood pressure, reduces inflammation and aids digestion
- Reduces depressive disorders, anxiety and stress through the release of endorphins
- Creates connection with nature
- Improves creativity and problem solving