A Change of Perspective

A brisk walk can be one of the best ways of relieving the mind of stress, anxiety or depression. As you walk try not to allow your mind to get caught up in that incessant weave of inner thoughts. It’s precisely those thoughts which are probably causing you to feel the way you do.

Open yourself up to your surroundings. Actually see, here and feel where you are. Breath in the fresh air if you’re in the countryside or by the sea - see the sights, hear the sounds, feel the feelings…

So often, even when we’re out walking, we shut ourselves off from the world around us. Only by becoming aware of the fact we’re doing this can we break the habit.

Somehow our thoughts entrance us, even when they are causing us anxiety and pain. One way of breaking free from these constricting thought patterns is to become aware of the direction of your gaze.

As your thoughts pull you this way and that you may notice that you are tending to look down. Perhaps you are unconsciously staring at the ground as you walk. Your vision is literally restricted and you probably aren’t even fully aware of what you are looking at.

Become Aware

Changing the direction of your gaze will not only open up your visual perspective, but will open up your mental perspective as well. Move your eyes to the right and to the left to take in your whole field of vision. Look upwards to the right and the left and feel the weight of thoughts lift as you become aware of the sky above you.

Those thoughts which so obsessed you, will quickly begin to take on a less significant status.

Some schools of therapy argue that by actually changing the position of our eyes we are able to access different mental states. According to NLP practitioners this can help us to understand how a person is thinking at any particular time. If this is the case then perhaps the actual positioning of our eyes plays a part in determining our thought processes.

Unwelcome Inner Talk

Consider a person contemplating, and how they position their gaze in a particular way. Very different from the person who is feeling anger.

If you’re the sort of person who often finds themselves caught up in unwelcome inner talk, why not give this simple exercise a go when you’re next out walking. Unlike the horse, we can take off the blinkers…