A Walk in the Woods: Pleasant Stroll Or a Step Too Far?

22^nd April 2025

Health professionals are increasingly recognising the benefits of simply getting out into nature – a walk in the park, a wander through a wood, a stroll by a lake or river. Feel the breeze in your hair, let the April showers refresh you, lap up the sunshine! At this time of year every day is different! Doctors now do something called ‘social prescribing’. Instead of writing a prescription for medicine, they may write one for a social, practical or physical activity that connects you with nature or with community activities. It’s amazing the impact some regular physical exercise in the fresh air can have. It doesn’t have to be strenuous, in fact it can be especially helpful to take things gently, drinking in the detail and perhaps the beauty of our surroundings. So much of our time can be spent inside or rushing from place to place without noticing much beyond what is in our own heads.

But it can be very difficult to motivate ourselves. Maybe the idea of going out at all is quite threatening, or maybe you feel you just don’t have time? Perhaps you’ve tried and had a bad experience or at least not felt it was particularly helpful. If you’re feeling that simply going out is a challenge, it might help to talk this through with a therapist. There can be all kinds of reasons and talking about how you feel is often the first step to overcoming whatever is holding you back. If you’re feeling trapped and would like to be able to go out more it’s not always enough just to tell yourself to do it!

We can help with anxiety, agoraphobia, low motivation. Talk to us today at http://drcs.org.uk

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