Workplace Stress: How a Daily Walk Can Clear the Mind
If you’re already feeling overwhelmed in parts of your life, workplace stress can often be the final straw—tipping the balance and leaving you feeling unsteady. When you're working long hours, sometimes between 7 and 10 a day, work can begin to feel never-ending—especially when stress takes a seat beside you.
Living with anxiety is exhausting. You might experience racing thoughts, a harsh inner critic, or even fear around interacting with colleagues. It can get to the point where it feels impossible to imagine a life without this constant mental and physical strain.
A Note on the Stress of the Workplace
Workplaces are complex and emotionally charged environments. The way we experience each other at work often draws on much more than what’s happening in the present moment.
Sometimes, without realising it, we’re taken back to emotional states that belong to earlier parts of our lives. For example, poor management or a dismissive tone in a meeting might stir up feelings that are connected to childhood experiences—like being in the presence of a frustrated or critical parent.
In groups of any size, we carry with us our personal histories—our expectations, fears, and unspoken hopes about how others will treat us. These dynamics can quietly play out in the background, amplifying stress and making the workplace feel emotionally charged.
I don’t claim to know the exact details of what you're going through, but I write this with a quiet belief: that things can change. That there is hope. That life can be experienced differently—with more space, more ease, and more balance.
How to Start Managing Stress at Work
One simple and effective way to begin shifting your emotional state might sound predictable—but that’s only because it works. Go for a short walk. 🚶♀️🚶♂️🚶🦽
Walking is more than just movement—it’s a grounding technique. When you walk, your body rhythmically engages both sides of the brain. The blood starts circulating more freely, your breathing deepens, and your nervous system begins to settle.
Walking can also be a chance to practise mindfulness. Try bringing your attention to the present moment by focusing on:
The sensation of your feet connecting with the ground
The rhythm of your steps
The temperature of the air on your skin
The colours and shapes in your surroundings
Even a 10-15 minute walk can help lower cortisol (the stress hormone), improve focus, and create just enough space for perspective to return.
The Science of Grounding Through Walking
When we talk about grounding, we mean the practice of reconnecting with the present moment — physically, emotionally, and mentally. Walking is a natural grounding tool. It regulates your nervous system, anchors your awareness in your body, and creates a rhythm that soothes the mind.
From a neuroscience perspective, walking:
Engages bilateral stimulation — alternating left-right movement helps regulate brain activity, reduce anxiety, and support emotional processing
Helps lower cortisol levels, reducing the physiological symptoms of stress — like tight muscles or racing thoughts
Triggers the release of endorphins and serotonin, which naturally lift your mood and improve emotional balance
Add in Nature 🌱
If you can take your walk outdoors — even briefly — the benefits multiply. Research shows that spending time in green spaces helps to:
Calm the mind and body more effectively than urban environments
Reduce rumination, the repetitive negative thinking often linked with anxiety
Improve attention span and working memory
This is sometimes referred to as Attention Restoration Theory — the idea that natural environments allow the mind to rest and gently reset. A 15-minute walk near trees, water, or even a patch of grass can help shift you out of survival mode and into a more reflective, resourced state.
Walking as an Emotional Reset
What’s powerful about walking is that it doesn’t demand much — no special tools, no dramatic lifestyle change. It’s simply about giving your mind a break from overthinking, and giving your body a chance to move, regulate, and breathe.
Whether you're walking alone, alongside a colleague, or as part of a walk-and-talk therapy session, it can offer a small but meaningful reset — even in the middle of your working day.
