Mental health and physical health have commonly been considered two entirely different and separate things. However, the two are very closely related in many different ways. At the broadest level, poor mental health negatively impacts one’s physical health and poor physical health may negatively impact one’s mental health. However, positive physical health promotes improvements in mental health and vice-versa. Many factors contribute to both one’s physical health and mental health; however, the benefits, or consequences, one has on the other are significant.

As we begin to prepare for the holidays, this is also the time we turn back our clocks to standard time. In order to remember which way the clocks move, we’ve named it “fall back” & “spring forward.” Falling back means changing the clocks back one full hour, resulting in earlier sunsets & later sunrises. This ultimately means more darkness throughout the rest of Fall & Winter. Darkness can feel increasingly isolating & is known to exacerbate already existing mental health problems such as depression & anxiety. Changing back the clocks also negatively impacts our circadian rhythm (body clock), disrupting our sleep/wake cycle & the production of melatonin. Darkness increases the production of melatonin, thus leaving us to feel more tired, sleepy & fatigued in the winter months. In essence, sunlight is directly linked to our circadian rhythm therefore it is no surprise that when the sun goes down, we begin to get sleepy, even if it’s only 5pm!

Walking can be a great way to boost your physical and emotional well-being. It is a great exercise that can easily be done anywhere. Walking increases your blood flow and circulation between your brain and your body, this positively impacts your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis which is responsible for the response of your central nervous system and stress responses (Brennan, 2021). Basically, what this means is that the body functioning while walking helps to alleviate stress, increase your overall mood, and even help you to sleep better. Walking obviously has its benefits in more ways than one, so how do you go about incorporating this into your routine? The following are tips and tricks on how to begin your walking journey.