Walk and Talk Therapy in a Pandemic

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How can Walk and Talk Therapy help?

Covid-19 has us all in a bind. From newborn to old age, all our lives are affected by this. Although, of course, some more so than others. For some of us, life just slowed down a little, while for some their home has become a prison or their work a place of high risk. As a Walk and Talk counsellor, my work life hardly changed at all.

We all deal with these challenges in our own unique ways and it is important not to judge each other in these uncertain and stressful times. We need our communities to support us, not stigmatise or forget us. On the whole, I find that local communities have rallied fabulously. They protected their vulnerable and kept people connected. We delivered food and medicines and checked in with those of you in isolation by phone and video.

In recent weeks, my work has taken a turn I didn’t foresee: Now that we are encouraged to go out more, some of us find the prospect of leaving our homes frightening!

And it’s all very well for those of us with strong support networks to start spending more time together outside. But what of those who don’t have this? What about those who live alone, maybe with families far away? What of those whose community activities haven’t started yet because there is no safe way to do this indoors?

I get enquiries from people asking me if I can offer sessions to help them get out of the house. Help them learn how to navigate the guidelines and laws of our lives now; help them deal with the anxiety of stepping out of the safety of isolation. When you have hardly spoken a word in 3 months, it can be hard to get back in the flow! Or have a chat in a shop, where masks add to your anxiety and make you feel like you can’t quite catch your breath.

Walk and talk sessions are a great way to start this process of reintegration. Meeting with one other person for a gentle walk (or sit on a bench) and share your worries. Help you find ways to navigate this new way of living.

Being out in nature is beneficial in itself. Walking in nature helps us feel calmer and more connected to ourselves and the world around us. From there, we can slowly build up to adding more contact and more complex situations.

Walk and talk therapy doesn’t just happen in beautiful countryside or parks, it also happens in town centres and villages and along a local market – it can be adapted to anything you need. I offer this in Somerton and the surrounding towns and villages.

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Walk and Talk Therapy in a Pandemic

How can Walk and Talk Therapy help? Covid-19 has us all in a bind. From newborn to old age, all our lives are affected by