Beat the blues: Walking

We all have those days when the we just can't seem to shake the cloud of worry, anxiety, sadness (insert appropriate rubbishy feeling here) that LTTTC* sometimes brings.

 

I pride myself on trying, and I reiterate trying, to do things that I know will make myself feel better. I know, in my most rational moments, that crying myself to sleep or wallowing in bed all day will not change anything and will probably leave me feeling worse in the long run.

 

Most days in term time I am confined to the four walls of my classroom. By the time I get home it is usually dark and days can got past before I have spent more than ten minutes outside. I am pretty certain that this can make things worse for me so last week I spent as many days as I could out walking and getting some much needed fresh air.

 

On Monday, I peered through the living room window and from indoors the sky looked ominous and didn't seem to hold much promise. I had lots of marking to get through but the prospect of sitting at my table ploughing endlessly through it made me feel angry and fed up. So, thinking about what would make me feel better and being kind to myself,  I doned my wellies, waterproof jacket and walking rucksack and set off through the puddles.

My walk took me across fields and onto a deserted country lane and I ended up at the quaint little pub in the next village. Of course, I had to treat myself to a pub lunch and a coffee and managed to mark far more papers than I would have had I stayed at home. By the time I emerged from the pub the sky had brightened and the sun had made a welcome appearance.

I don't think I can feel happier than when I am breathing in the fresh air, feeling the sun on my skin and taking in the spectacular views around me. As I walked I spotted, what I assume to be, a family of five deer in a field adjacent to the road. I stopped to watch them as they sat happily exposed in the middle of the land, their antlers proudly revealing their positions. And wow, what magnificent animals they are. They spotted me but did not move however I knew that at all times I was being watched in case I posed a threat. As I stood watching them a car past me and I felt sad that the occupants of the car had missed this occasion due to their hurry to be elsewhere. Someone once said to me that slow travel is the best way to travel and, in this case, I could not agree with them more. We miss so much as we rush through our lives and it is important to slow the pace and drink in the small wonders that occur everyday without us even noticing. This is something my mindfulness course is teaching me. Be mindful and live in the moment as much as you possibly can. It is amazing how much more appreciative I have become of the smallest, seeming insignificant, things.

 

 

 

Towards the end of my walk I spotted these delicate snowdrops, the first of the spring, growing in the churchyard across from our house. They can not fail to remind us of the optimism the springtime brings. They have grown and thrived despite the floods. Aren't they just beautiful?

So, if the gloom of Winter is getting you down or you are finding that tests, waiting, uncertainty of LTTTC is getting just too much, don't judge the day from the confines of your house. Get out there. Feel the chill on your skin. Wrap up warm. Breath in spring and marvel in the natural world around you. Be mindful of the moment. Remember to live in the Now.

xx

*LTTTC = Long Term Trying To Concieve