Feeling Anxious? Walk it Out. Literally.

5 reasons walking will change your battle with anxiety.

By Rachel Dunne, ALC and Certified Stepfamily Coach, “Spiritual Stepmom”

ANXIETY.

It’s a hot topic these days and there’s a good reason for that. According to a survey done by the American Psychiatric Association in 2024, 43% of adults feel more anxious than they did the previous year, which is up from 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022. They also reported that they were especially anxious about current events, the economy, upcoming election, and gun violence. I don’t know about you, but that’s something I can relate to.

But here’s the thing about anxiety…

Anxiety isn’t all bad. In fact, anxiety can be a really good thing.

When you stop and think about it, anxiety keeps us alive because it alerts us to potential threats and leads to action that helps us escape danger. If you didn’t get anxious about a car coming straight at you while walking across a busy street, then you would be in big trouble now, wouldn’t you?

But for some of us, anxiety can become disordered and before we know it, we are living in a constant state of fight or flight that wreaks havoc on both our minds and bodies.

What some people don’t know is that when the body is anxious or in what we would call stress response, our body releases a cascade of stress hormones, most notably cortisol and adrenaline, to help our bodies react as quickly as possible to fight off a potential threat.

The problem is, when we are living in chronic stress, these hormones build up in our bodies over time, and start causing actual mental, emotional and physical damage, such as depression, mood swings, insomnia, racing heart, feelings of unreality, sweating, muscle tension, inability to relax, high blood pressure…and the list goes on.

Just like the brain sends messages to the body, the body also sends messages to the brain,

The the presence of these excess stress hormones actually signals to the brain that something is wrong, which just creates more stress...and you guessed it…more stress hormones.

As this vicious cycle continues, we eventually become scared of all the bizarre sensations popping up in our minds and bodies, which once again gives us even more anxiety…which once again floods us with even more stress hormones.

AGAIN. Vicious cycle…and one that will continue to feed upon itself until we do something to bring our nervous systems back into equilibrium.

Five years ago…

Five years ago, I experienced the devastating effects of this vicious cycle firsthand after a series of traumatic events that happened while I was pregnant with my second son. I didn’t realize how stressed I really was until my son was born and my anxiety symptoms became debilitating. I knew my nervous system was basically destroyed at this point, but I didn’t even know where to begin trying to heal it. I will never forget the phone call I got one night while laying in bed nursing my newborn, feeling completely hopeless about my mental and physical health.

A distant family member of mine that I had not spoken to in over twenty years had heard about what I was going through from my mom and called me out of the blue one evening to tell me that God had given her a word for me. The word was WALK.

She told me she didn’t know what it meant or why He gave her that word but that she knew that was what He wanted her to tell me. I prayed about it and the only thing I could come up with is that God wanted me to well…walk.

At that point, I was barely able to leave my house without having a panic attack, so even the thought of leaving my comfort zone and walking out in the heat gave me severe anxiety. BUT, I was determined to follow God’s lead on this so I started out walking only 5 minutes a day. By the second week, I was up to 20 minutes and by the fourth week, I was walking for an hour or more a day. As I continued to walk, I noticed my anxiety symptoms dissipating little by little. I didn’t understand it all then, but sitting in my house day after day, letting a bunch of stress hormones pile up in my body was doing nothing but making my symptoms worse.

Once I started walking, I finally started to take my mind and body back and here’s why:

1. Walking is gentle on the nervous system.

While it’s true that all exercise can have an anxiety reducing effect, exercise itself is a stressor on the body, depending on the intensity and frequency of the exercise. And that’s where the beauty of walking comes in.

Walking is the perfect exercise for someone who is living with chronic stress or anxiety because it isn’t taxing on the body and won’t stress out an already stressed-out body and nervous system.

2. Walking makes you feel good.

When you walk, your body releases endorphins which are natural stress reducers and pain relievers and help relax the body and alleviate muscle tension. Walking also can reduce symptoms of depression.

In fact, a recent study showed that while all exercise is effective for treating depression, walking was one the most effective forms of exercise for reducing depressive symptoms.

3. Walking gets rid of excess stress hormones.

If you want to see a reduction in those horrific anxiety symptoms, it is imperative that you reduce the amount of excess stress hormones circulating in your body. Walking naturally reduces levels of cortisol, as well as adrenaline. Because there is only way to reduce adrenaline in your body- and that is by burning it off with cardio- you will need to choose a pace that will give your heart, lungs and muscles a challenge.

4. Walking regulates the brain’s response to stress.

Bilateral stimulation, which is any method of stimulating the brain and body in a rhythmic right-left pattern, is used in some forms of therapy to treat symptoms of trauma, anxiety, or other mental health conditions.

Walking is a simple form of this amazing process, and this bilateral stimulation improves the brain’s ability to respond to stress. It also helps create a sense of calm and well-being and helps the body to process and release emotions that have been stuck in the body.

5. Walking brings us back to nature.

Studies have consistently shown the positive effects of being in nature, which include both mental and physical health benefits such as decreased depression, stress and anxiety, increased focus and mindfulness, improved self-esteem, and better sleep. When possible, choose to walk outdoors so you can combine their superpowers and get double the benefits.

Bottom line:

Walking even just 10 to 15 minutes a day is a simple, and extremely effective way to for you to start healing from anxiety.

So, if you feel like you’ve been stuck in anxiety so long you don’t even know where to turn, just head towards the closet, grab a pair of sneakers and start walking it out. Once you hit the pavement, you’ll be so glad you took that first step towards a more grounded, relaxed and healthier you.

It's time to hit the road anxiety, and don’t you come back no more!

*Consider nurturing your body and calming your anxiety by attending our upcoming emBODY Wellness Weekend in Fairhope, Alabama.

Guest Contributor, Rachel Dunne is an Associate Licensed Counselor, a Stepfamily Foundation Certified Coach in Alabama and founder of www.spiritualstepmom.com. You can find her on Instagram, sharing her blended family life and life hacks @spiritualstepmom.

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