Mindful Walks to Reduce Stress & Anxiety Part 4: Flowers and More!

Mindfulness & Walking

As I wrote about in Parts 1, 2 and 3 of “Mindful Walks”, we can tap into the wonder of our surroundings when our senses are heightened in the present moment.  This is the last of a multi part series into the benefits of mindful walking.  Each part encourages you to focus on a different element. Today we’re going to focus on flowers and then take a peek into a variety of other possibilities!

Benefits of walking and noticing flowers

Walking has many physical health benefits and can also have an impact on our mental health including elevated energy levels and reducing anxiety and depression.  When we walk mindfully, we can further reduce stress and tension by being truly present, getting in a flow state and leave our stressors behind. Have you ever thought of the phrase “Stop and smell the roses?”.  Mac Davis had a hit with the song “Stop and Smell the Roses” in 1974:

Stop and Smell the Roses, Mac Davis

Hey Mister
Where you going in such a hurry
Don't you think it's time you realized?
There's a whole lot more to life than work and worry
The sweetest things in life are free
And there right before your eyes
You got to stop and smell the roses
You've got to count your many blessings everyday
You're gonna find your way to heaven is a rough and rocky road
If you don't stop and smell the roses along the way.

Nature is a common source of joy and simple acts like taking in the beauty and scent of a rose may play an even larger role in our overall happiness than we know.  A flower fighting its way towards the sunlight through a crack in the sidewalk can be a source of inspiration, and a lesson in determination and resilience. We can learn many lessons from flowers, I love these from flowers from mindfueldaily.com

1. Follow the sunlight. Do what makes you feel happy and warm.

2. Take your time. Bloom when you’re ready, no need to rush.

3. Be yourself. Wherever you are, bring your own spring with you.

4. Make friends. Surround yourself with those who care and support. 

5. Smile bright. Spread your colors into the world.

6. Stand tall. Be proud of everything you do and achieve.

7. Stay grounded. Keep yourself connected – water your roots often.

8. Have faith. Know that the sun always emerges from the clouds.

9. Don’t mind bees. Even the bees are your friends. Do your thing, and let busybodies play their part.

10. Feel the rain. Open your pores and drink in every season.

During a mindful walk we can use our senses to focus on flowers.  We take in the colors, sizes, petals, textures and scents.  We can begin to notice how each flower is similar and different to another nearby.

Questions to ask yourself on a walk as you look for flowers

How does your body feel at the beginning of your walk?  Where do you hold your tension? What do you notice about your breathing? How far did you have to go before you found your first flower? Which flower was your favorite?  Why? Do the flowers grow in clusters or is there one solitary bud?  How many different types of flowers can you find on your walk?  How many different colors did you see? What is the difference in size between the largest and the smallest?  How many shades of one color do you see in a flower? Do you noticed the shading within the petal? How many different kinds of flowers do you see growing on trees?  Shrubs?  In the grass? 

In the sidewalk? What was it like to take photos of flowers? Did it affect your ability to “see” more?  Did you notice your senses being heightened as you focused on them? What did you think about on your walk?  How does your body feel at the end of your walk?  Do you notice less tension?

Other possibilities for mindful walks!

There are many things that you can focus on walks, often seeing things in a new way!  Below are examples of just a few including architectural elements, fences and gates, sidewalk elements, stickers and water reflections (I started noticing these after a friend posted some amazing photos of water reflections on Instagram - thank you Tangerine132. We can focus on balance, repetition, contrast, shapes, composition, color, texture and more!

I’d love to hear from you! Please comment below!