Walk it Out

How to deal with grief? A friend of mine told me that she found the most effective remedy for the overwhelming depression she felt after her father died is to walk. She told me this as we were clipping along the greenway that ran behind her house and along a couple of small lakes through trees and wetlands. Her father had died a year earlier and she said the desolation she felt was smothering. She didn't care what temperature it was outside. She simply took off for the path. She would begin the walk with tears streaming down her face, but as she continued the walk, her heart would begin to feel lighter and eventually the tears would stop falling. Now when she walks there are no tears, just the contentment that comes from being outside and from moving her arms and legs

I had the same experience when my daughter grew up and moved out of the house. I could not stand to be in the house. The emptiness was unbearable. I missed the sounds of girls running in one door and out the other. I felt haunted. I did what my friend did. I got out and walked. Even in the thick heat of the day, I walked. I tried to keep a fairly good pace, but I wasn't race walking. It usually took about 30 to 40 minutes but then the heaviness would lift and I would begin to feel good about life again. At one point, I began to pay attention to the birds around me. I later bought some binoculars and found a new hobby.

I read an article recently that stated that even twenty minutes in nature is energizing. I think the combination of being outside and paying attention to your environment along with the exercise you get from walking and the natural endorphins that come with it creates about the best anti-depressant you can find. And it's free.