Outdoors is my Therapy

You’re in for a treat with today’s episode because you have the opportunity to get involved as I guide you through a sensory mindfulness practice that you can do in nature. Your senses are doorways into the world around you. We often miss the doorways because our attention is easily scattered in the busyness of life. This practice helps you to reconnect with your body and with your surroundings br...

Today’s chat is all about stress – how it operates in your body, how it can affect your physical and mental health, the importance of managing the loads you have in your life, and how you can bring about a relaxation response to put the brakes on the stress response. And of course we talk about how you can be intentional about spending time outdoors and immersing yourself in nature to counter the...

Adventure goals fill me with excitement and energy for the future and I’m convinced that adventure goals are beneficial for everyone! Today we’re continuing the conversation about adventure that we began in Episode 11. Adventure isn’t always fun and games – it can be pretty hard work too with floods of sweat, tears and frustration. So what’s the attraction? Why do I think you need to have an adven...

Today’s episode is all about adventures and in particular, that adventures are for everyone. People have all sorts of reasons for not having adventures in their lives. Is there anything stopping YOU from leading a life of adventure? It’s important to acknowledge the obstacles but don’t let excuses paralyse you. By learning to creatively manage the obstacles you’ll step into another world of excite...

In today's epsiode I’m taking you on a journey to the Southern Downs in regional Queensland to give you an overview of some of the walks you can choose from whether you’re looking for a kid-friendly day out or a heart thumping, blood pumping experience, or a paved walkway suitable for wheelchairs and prams. You’ll hear about some of the urban walks and the national parks in the region includi...

At the time of recording this episode Australia and much of the world is going through a staged process of coming out of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m seeing and hearing a lot of enthusiasm from people to get out and socialise more, but also to reconnect with outdoor spaces and places. That includes people who haven’t spent a lot of time in the outdoors before. I think people have be...

Today’s episode is all about how you can improve your sleep by spending time outdoors. Sleep is closely linked to mental and physical health but nearly half of adults report not having adequate sleep. There are many factors that affect sleep quality and quantity. Spending time outdoors is one of those factors and you can use it as an all-natural treatment to sleep better and feel better. In this e...

When you invest time and energy into connecting with the outdoors, with nature, each day, you stand to gain multiple health benefits, including improved attention, reduced stress levels, improved sleep and improved mood. Recently the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group ran a challenge to share ideas about some of the ways we can all get connected with the outdoors on a more regular basis – so we...

This is Part 1 of a two part series exploring strategies that can help you feel calmer when fear and anxiety arises.  In this episode you’ll hear about the nature and purpose of fear, the common signs of anxiety, and some of the most effective action-based strategies to help you manage those feelings. Fear is the voice in your head trying to keep you safe and it triggers a chain of responses in yo...

This is Part 2 of a two part series exploring strategies that can help you feel calmer when fear and anxiety arises.  If you haven’t listened to Part 1 (Episode 5) yet, it might be helpful to start there, then come back to this episode. In Part 1 we talked about the nature and purpose of fear, common signs of anxiety, and action-based strategies that are known to help reduce the effects of anxiety...

Have you ever had a stay-at-home holiday or staycation? During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are facing the probability of taking this to another level in which any non-essential travel outside our own homes is not permitted during isolation. This includes many of the usual outdoor recreational activities we enjoy like bushwalking and picnics. Instead of focusing on the limitations, a staycati...

Kathryn Walton welcomes you to the Outdoors is my Therapy podcast which is part of a larger movement to inform, inspire and empower you to spend time outdoors for the benefit of your health and well-being. It’s important to be creative and strategic so that you can create pathways to get past the obstacles that can get in the way of making healthy choices in life including spending time outdoors i...

We live in a world that expects us to be efficient, effective and resourceful. And in trying to be all these things, we risk letting go of the things that actually sustain us, bring us energy, nurture our health and inspire our creativity. Spending time in nature is one of those things that has often been neglected in our self care as we rush through life. But spending time in nature is never a wa...

In today’s episode I share 20 ways to keep moving and exercising either indoors or outdoors when you are isolated during a pandemic. NO matter where you live in the world as this podcast episode was recorded, you would have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the health and government directives to manage its spread. Isolation requirements mean limited options to spend time outdoors...