The quickest way to happiness

I was thinking about this after the last encounter with a rude salesperson. I haven’t been in a similar situation for a long time, but the moment I was out of the shop I realized my heart was beating faster, I felt my red cheeks burning, I got sweaty palms, all that “good stuff”.

And the first thing I wanted to do was – GO FOR A WALK! 

The easiest, cheapest, and quickest way to happiness if you ask me. 

The second thing that crossed my mind was how grateful I was for being ABLE to walk. And walk fast. 

Running away from my own stress was not going to help me that fast, but after a couple of minutes of brisk walking toward the park, I already could feel I was cooling down from that situation. 

Learning how to control my emotions and not let anyone influence my mood, is one of the hardest lessons I’m trying to learn. But on that journey, I do appreciate every test, because it pinpoints exactly what I still have to work on. 🤷

Why do I call walks “the quickest way to happiness’’? 

Even after just a couple of minutes of walking endorphins are released and our nervous systems start to relax. 

We are all so glued to stress that we don’t even recognize it anymore. Stress became almost a natural state of being.If somebody mentions meditation, you give them an eye roll. But when they ask “you need a drink?” (ice cream, cigarette…you know what I mean), you nod with a big smile?

Well, I’ve been struggling with refusing ice cream, I’ll just say that. 

Practicing mindfulness has thought me to at least recognize the symptoms of stress when they first arise, so I can help myself with a couple of “simple deep breaths”. Under quotation, because it is NOT THAT SIMPLE. Deep breaths are easy, but knowing WHEN to take them – not so much.

On the other hand, my first reaction used to be – I need to leave! That’s how I figured that walks are my quickest way to happiness. 

30 min walking a day, could do so much more for us than one dopamine shot.

Dose of nature 

In one study at the University of Essex in the UK, they did a “dose of nature” test and found that the most significant improvements came in the first five minutes of exposure to nature. 

By transitioning to a green environment our mind switches from “voluntary attention” to “involuntary attention”, which automatically reduces stress and focuses us to relax. BOOM!

Even better, if there is a body of water somewhere around, the effect will be even faster. 

Being so overwhelmed by external stimuli, our brain needs a break way more often than what we actually practice. 

Speaking from my HSP point of view, nature is my church. If it wasn’t for my puppy walks I would still be thinking that walking is just an activity that gets you from point A to point B.  

Quick Steps to Joy

Use the walks to listen to a new episode of your favorite podcast or book. 

Or bring a notebook and scribble anything that comes to your mind. Brain dumping is a skill that grants you freedom in a society full of situations in which you question the existence of others and have difficulty staying calm. 😀 Like I did in that shop.

Being an ex-pro photographer, I love taking pictures so I have my camera battery charged and ready to go at all times. Flowers, trees and the sky are what instantly puts me in a meditative state of mind. From there I’ll often get more inspired to write, make a new Pinterest board, visualize or redesign something at home.

Once I became aware of how important my walks were for my mental well-being, I started planning them as a coaching session or a meeting., or just that phone call you’ve been wanting to make for a while but “never got the time”.

If you haven’t tried it yet, try to replace the screen with an easy walk along the river and watch how your ideas and productivity go wild. What that does to you, no dopamine shot can fix.

The Road to Happiness is Walked Barefoot  

Brainstorming with a team while grounding and absorbing some sun rays? 

Or…. 

Screen in your face, cubicle, a loud coffee shop, and/or someone pacing around you? 

If you need more convincing, here are some medical facts about my quickest way to happiness. 

Walks

• Improve sleep and cognitive functions (learning, memory…)
• Lower stress and anxiety
• Lower chances of getting depressed
• Lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol
• Tone muscles and help you lose weight
• …

Exercising in general is the most underused anti-depressant because they want us, drugged customers, to think the quickest way to feel joy and excitement is anything outside of us. 

We would rather take a pill than feel a feeling.

We would rather believe a guy in a white coat than our gut. 

We would rather be willing to read all the books in the world to find a solution, than what our body is telling us between the lines. 

YOU ALREADY HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR HAPPINESS

Depressed? Try walking barefoot for 10 minutes.

Grounding is beneficial to our health because the earth’s more negative charge provides a grounding force for our physiology. It clears out all the “goods” of EMF radiation as well.

Anxious? Sit in silence next to the water or just watch the birds.

Trouble sleeping? Expose your skin to some sunlight. Please, DO NOT FEAR THE SUN. Eat more protein and get some early sun in your eyes. Sun stimulates the production of serotonin, which gets converted into melatonin and secures you a good night’s sleep. Getting enough sun on our skin helps us tune in with our natural circadian rhythm, which then brings so many other benefits along. Check this post where I talked more about this.

Nature makes you change your perspective instantly. The longer you observe, the more insights you get. The more we get quiet, the louder our body tells us what feels good. 

Maybe you do need a vacation, but everything else now feels more manageable doesn’t it? 

Why? Because nature is YOUR POWER! We ARE NATURE.

By doing that simple walk, you synchronized to Mother nature’s frequency. Your low vibes are gone and you got yourself a self-esteem shot because the natural environment promotes connection to our natural instincts.

And as a result, you feel in charge. In control. Of your own feelings and situations. 

Really hope this “convinces” you to spend more time outdoors and try to connect with nature on a deeper level. Walks do so much good for our nervous system, so If you ask me, they truly are the quickest way to your alignment and harmony with nature. And that, to me, is pure happiness.

“The quickest way to be happy is to choose what you already have.”

Werner Erhard