Why do so many of us feel better when we’re outside? Why do we feel better when we forget our troubles and think about others and the wider world? Well, there’s a lot we can learn from psychiatry and psychology that has developed out of treating those with depression and anxiety and apply it to the day to day for the walking well! Stay with me here.

“Rumination involves repetitive thinking or dwelling on negative feelings and distress and their causes and consequences. The repetitive, negative aspect of rumination can contribute to the development of depression or anxiety and can worsen existing conditions. Whilst we can’t change a person’s family history or their life experiences, it is possible to help a person to change the way they think and to teach them positive coping strategies that can mitigate and reduce stress levels.” American Psychiatric Association

I find it fascinating that the article goes onto talk about reducing stress. Overthinking, ruminating, analysis paralysis, decision fatigue…call it what we will… it can be stressful. We can all get stuck in that thinking mode. Sometimes in meetings it can be exaggerated.

So how do we at Connect Outside apply this when helping teams get into a calm, thoughtful yet mindful space?

Well lets get back to the mental health professionals again…some of the ways they suggest reducing rumination and stress are:

• Distract yourself with activities that will interrupt the negative thinking and focus on more positive memories.
• Physical activity and change in environment, especially to a place that has positive associations for you, can help too.
• Try to separate out different problems or break down larger problems into smaller parts. Tackle one issue at a time. Make a step-by-step plan, be as specific as possible. Write it down. Then begin to move forward, taking action one step at a time.