No matter how much you enjoy your day job, sometimes you need a break from routine and an opportunity to take a different perspective. Spend some time with yourself, reconnect and get to know you again. A little mindfulness and solitude can help process some of those more challenging emotions you may be feeling (or trying to ignore or supress!). Walking out into the wild and concentrating on survival skills and problem solving with a precautionary plan B in place is a very liberating experience.

Going walkabout can be a spiritually liberating experience, a chance to reconnect with nature and parts of ourselves that become less obvious in a technology fuelled, distraction filled world. It is important to be sensitive to cultural appropriation when discussing practices that have ancient roots and rituals that are sometimes closed to those outside of the group or community. So, with respect to these culture and gratitude for what information they have allowed be shared, I will discuss my recent experience in terms of walkabout and shinrin-yoku through the lens of engaging in these activities in the UK and highlighting potential benefits.

Spending time in nature, ideally with a social media break, can help reduce overwhelm. Attention gradually shifts from devices and chatter of urban environments to the slower, signs of nature at work. It is possible to hear your mental clutter clear as you observe the clouds for potential signs of changes in the weather. This is a nice segue int one of my favourite benefits of a walkabout in nature – using and enhancing problem-solving skills. An area which takes us closer to the rite of passage roots of the original activity. Learning to establish sense of direction and location using the natural signs around you is a beautiful experience (a guide is recommended if you are new to this) without checking for online maps or advice (it’s nice to have them there if needed, though – safety first). Trees are influenced by wind and sunlight so can act as a compass with practice. However, they can also be very relaxing…

Shinrin-yoku (or forest bathing) aims to reduce stress and encourage relaxation by plugging your senses back into the environment – those trees also whisper in the breeze. It is not difficult to imagine they are saying, “take it easy”. Surrounded by colour and air that has a rich, earthy scent, it can be time to unwind. I always return feeling refreshed with a reinvigorated sense of purpose.

In fact, whilst I was on leave leaving the modern world for a while as best I could, a friend of mine was walking with purpose in a far more impressive way. Steve Hall was walking to raise funds for PTSD UK. Walking may be an understatement – Steve walked from Llandudno pier in North Wales to Blackpool pier in the North of England. An extremely impressive endeavour which he did quicker than I managed to navigate just part of North Wales.

His fundraising page is still open and donations can be accepted here:

Steve Hall is fundraising for PTSD UK