What is a Routine?

A routine is “a mode of behavior acquired through repeated experiences, readily reproduced in similar situations, and a way of feeling and thinking that prepares for those actions”. In other words, it’s the capability to work on a particular action persistently without strain.

Why Are We Resistant to Routine Changes?

If we’ve never played soccer before, there are many obstacles to overcome before it becomes a part of our routine. We need to first learn the skills, prepare equipment, and find an appropriate playfield. It’s difficult to make a habit of something that requires a certain set of conditions like this.

There are several other factors that make daily routines and habits difficult to stick to.

• Lack of enjoyment
• Having trouble concentrating and getting distracted
• Lack of motivation to continue because there’s no goal or end in sight
• Feeling as if there’s little return for the time and effort you put in

Once any of the above points are felt, most people struggle to continue with their new routine, resulting in failure.

Mental Health Benefits of A Routine Walk

Walking is a great way to get started without the need for equipment or space. It’s an activity that anyone can get into, at any time. The following are the benefits of making daily walks a part of your life.

1. A Change of Pace

Daily walks can serve as a change of pace in your day. According to one study, members of all ages and genders recognize exercise as being fun, helpful in relieving mental stress, and increasing concentration. Try to enjoy the scenery of the walk and avoid looking at your phone during walks. It could lead to new discoveries in your own neighborhood and bring mental clarity to some thoughts.

2. Making Friends

A walk can be a great opportunity to create connections with others. Once daily walks become a habit, you might find people who appear around your route at a similar time. You may end up forming friendships and more acquaintances by saying “hi” along the way. This will raise our spirits and sense of community, creating a positive effect on our mental health.

3. Getting in Shape

Routine walks create confidence. Walking is a form of exercise; inevitably, regular walks will help us get in better shape. As society becomes more convenient giving us fewer excuses to leave the house, it’s much easier to gain weight. This can lead to stress and a decrease in self-confidence. Regular walks can help burn calories, form healthier muscles, and boost self-confidence, all aiding to better health.

How to Make Walking a Habit

Even after we understand the positive benefits, it’s still a challenge to create healthy habits. This is especially true for people who do not already exercise on a regular basis. Here are some tips on how to make walking a habit.

1. Never Push Too Hard

Try to find a “purpose”, but don’t set too many strict “goals.” To form any routine habit, it is important to hold a purpose. The purpose will determine the walking course, speed, and method of walking. A person who wants to experience joy through new discoveries within their neighborhood and interacting with people would have a different kind of walk from someone who wants to get in shape and work on self-confidence.

Be mindful not to set goals that are too specific. For example, committing to goals like setting how many “hours/miles every day” can actually be counterproductive. High goals set from the beginning can lead to high pressure, stress, and failure to form a habit. Start small in setting specific goals. For instance, a goal like, “I will enjoy my walk every day,” is a great simple place to start.

2. Have a Walking Buddy

The best way to make walking a habit is to work on it with a friend. One of the appeals of walking is that we can start on our own right away. However, for some people, walking alone is not enjoyable enough to form a habit.

Try forming a group of friends to walk with or find a walking buddy. When we have someone walk together with us, it becomes a more social habit that’s easier to adapt without a struggle. Additionally, communicating with others while exercising brightens our mood and will excite us towards the next walking session!

Regular Walks for a Healthy Mind

If you are in a mental rut, regular walks are excellent in turning your mental health around. Adaptation of the habit may not be immediate and challenging if we don’t exercise regularly. The key is to have a solid purpose and to work with buddies to make it an enjoyable habit.

Go for a walk today and see if you can make it part of a self-care routine!

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If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

References:
Izumi, T. (2001). Application of Behavior Analysis to Lifestyle Improvement: A Study on Habit Formation of Walking Exercise. The Bulletin of the Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies Nihon University (2), 212-221.

Miyamoto, M. (2016). Mental Health and Life Habits: Lifestyle-Related Diseases as a Mental Dysfunction. Journal of the Japan Academy for Health Behavioral Science, 31(1), 13-21.

Ohara, S., & Matsushita, T. (2015). Research on Habituation and Continuation of Exercise and Sports. Bulletin of Aichi Institute of Technology (50), 58-70.

The post A Walk a Day Keeps Negativity at Bay! appeared first on SELF MIND.

Inside every sophisticated grown-up adult is a little kid just dying to get out.

Walt disney

Many people feel excited and uplifted when they come upon a new place, or a landscape they’ve never seen before. In today’s stressful society, mental health is becoming increasingly important, and according to recent research, traveling may reduce stress, help prevent disease, and improve health.

How is Traveling Related to Mental Health?

With the current pandemic forcing people to cut back on travel, some may feel deprived of methods to relieve stress due to their inability to go out. For some of us, traveling has been a way to relieve daily fatigue and stress. In general, popular travel attractions such as sports activities and relaxing spas, are considered healthy activities.

Despite the occasional negatives like bad weather, unexpected accidents, or sub-par customer service, we believe that most experiences we gained from traveling are positive. This is because we feel relieved from everyday life, get the opportunity to enjoy our hobbies, and experience freedom, all while having an extraordinary time. Yes, these are all the positive pleasures of travel, but is there actually any scientific evidence that traveling is good for us?

The Benefits of Chromogranin A

One case study tested human saliva to verify the stress-reducing effects of traveling by measuring the participants’ stress levels before, during, and after a trip. The human body secretes a hormone called “cortisol” when under stress, and conversely, a protein called “chromogranin A” is secreted when we are in a good mood. When these two substances were investigated throughout a three-day travel tour, the levels of cortisol decreased during the trip compared to before the trip, while the levels of chromogranin A increased dramatically during the trip. In particular, there were significant effects on people with low stressors on a daily basis, which suggests that travel was an effective way for them to feel refreshed. In addition, for those who felt high-stress loads, there was no significant effect, which suggests a re-evaluation of duration, location, and method for their future travels.

Planning A Trip Improves Mental Health

While traveling itself is of course beneficial, the excitement of planning helps relieve stress as well. Stress can be relieved through the build-up of excitement, curiosity, and adventure. We’re filled with anticipation when we search about the local scenery, foods, sights, or accommodations. If the planning itself feels too stressful, we can always opt for a group tour where everything is pre-planned and packaged together for us to save time.

Creating a plan we look forward to, will make our daily life more exciting! It will serve as motivation for our daily work or studies. The same can be said for events that we are excited about, not just trips.

Travel Experiences are Priceless

When we travel to unfamiliar destinations, we are bound to encounter a few unexpected events. If things don’t go as planned or problems arise, the hardships we face to think for ourselves and resolve situations will become an invaluable experience in life. Another positive we gain from traveling is learning new things and getting to know new people with different values. As our daily routines become more and more monotonous, we get used to our own lifestyles, which ends up narrowing our perspectives and values. When this happens, we can get frustrated about feeling stuck in a pigeonhole, ultimately leading to a build-up of stress. Enjoying a time of openness and exposure to new values can relieve the vast, unexplainable stress you feel every day.

Mental Health Care Through Wellness Tourism

The term “wellness tourism” or “health tourism,” is used to describe a medically-based approach to tourism that restores, maintains, and promotes health and wellness. In recent years, its effects are highly anticipated in terms of improving mental health.
The term “wellness tourism” has been defined in different ways, albeit with slightly differing terminology:

Wellness tourism [is] all travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one’s personal wellbeing.

Global Wellness Institute

Leisure, recreational and educational activities removed from the distractions of work and home that use tourism products and services that are designed to promote and enable customers to improve and maintain their health and well-being.

Pollock & Williams (2000)

Wellness tourism is the sum of all relationships and phenomena resulting from a change of location and residence by people in order to preserve or promote their health.

Müller & Kaufmann (2001)

Wellness tourism has many potential benefits for mental health. Tourism for the purpose of physical and mental health are quickly gaining popularity across the world. These tours include programs such as:

・Physical activity (Healing through the use of hiking, climbing, pilates, yoga, etc.)
・Natuopathy (Meditations and/or massages that are held in nature)
・Dietary therapy (Healthy dietary menus and/or homeopathic medicines)

However, the scientific evidence on whether wellness tourism is effective in relieving stress and improving mental health is yet to be proven. More research is expected to be conducted in the future. One thing for sure is that the positive health benefits of travel can surely bring a smile to many people’s faces. Seeking healing away from the confines of daily life may become an essential element for the stress-filled people of today’s society.

Image：Unsplash
References：

Makino, H., Toda, M., Kobayashi, H., & Morimoto, K. (2008). The effect of stress relief which is caused by traveling. Japan Institute of Tourism Research, 19(2), 9-18. doi: 10.18979/jitr.19.2_9

Müller, H., & Kaufmann, E.L. (2001). Wellness tourism: Market analysis of a special health tourism segment and implications for the hotel industry. Journal of vacation marketing, 7(1), 5-17. doi: 10.1177/135676670100700101

Ohashi, S. (2018). Development of Wellness Tourism : A New Trend in Modern Tourism. Wakayama University Association for Tourism Studies, 18, 107-117.

Pollock, A., & Williams, P. (2000). Health tourism trends: closing the gap between health care and tourism. Trends in outdoor recreation, leisure and tourism., 165-173.

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