There are days when our mind seems to become our worst enemy. Negative thoughts accumulate, worries repeat themselves in an endless loop, and we’re accompanied by a vague feeling of mental exhaustion that we can’t seem to shake. Seneca had a very simple, yet highly effective, solution for finding our center of gravity when everything seems to be accelerating.
The Stoic Advice for Feeling Better
Sometimes, in trying to feel better, we unnecessarily complicate our lives. Between wellness apps and “expert” voices recommending different things, it’s easy to overcomplicate the simple and end up adding more stress when what we really need is to relax.
Seneca recommended in De tranquillitate animi: “It is advisable to broaden the mind by giving it some leisure that encourages and strengthens; and the walk one takes should be in open countryside so that, under the open sky and with plenty of breath, the spirit may be lifted and strengthened.”
For Stoic philosophers, walking was not simply physical activity, but an intentional and contemplative practice in which we disconnect from external chaos and immerse ourselves in introspection. When the body is set in motion and the breath expands with the fresh air, the mind finds space to organize itself.
Science confirms this. Physical activity reduces levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, while increasing endorphins and serotonin, the hormones of well-being. It doesn’t even have to be a long walk. A study conducted at the University of Mississippi found that a walk of just 10 minutes is enough to improve mood.
Why does walking in nature clear your mind?
Walking in nature has something almost “magical” about it because it’s not an activity to do more, but to stop doing. When you get away from the noise of the world, disconnect from screens, and leave your obligations behind, a space is created where the mind stops being in constant reaction mode. In that silence, everything begins to reorganize itself. What seemed urgent loses intensity, and what you saw as blurry begins to clarify effortlessly.
The key is not just the movement, but the natural environment. A study conducted at Stanford University found that walking in nature reduces rumination. People who took a 90-minute walk in a natural environment showed less activation in the subgenual cingulate cortex, a brain area linked to rumination and self-criticism, which plays a key role in the development of depression.
This has a physiological explanation. When you walk, your body develops a repetitive and stable rhythm that acts as a kind of anchor. This continuous, unhurried movement signals to the nervous system that there is no imminent danger. Gradually, activation decreases, tension diminishes, and the mind stops jumping from one thought to another with such urgency.
Then the mind clears. We stop merging with our thoughts. We normally live in a state of cognitive fusion, assuming that every thought is a truth that demands immediate attention. But when we walk without distractions, we begin to observe them with some distance. They don’t disappear, but we stop identifying with them. In that process, it becomes evident that we are not that chaotic flow of ideas and worries, which completely changes our internal experience.
That’s why walking in nature not only helps us clear our minds or improve our mood, it allows us to reconnect with ourselves, with a clearer and more centered version of ourselves. Like when the water calms and reveals the bottom, the mind sometimes needs stillness. When worries or perceived emergencies settle, we manage to find serenity.
References:
Edwards, M. K. & Loprinzi, P. D. (2018) Experimental effects of brief, single bouts of walking and meditation on mood profile in young adults. Health Promot Perspect; 8(3): 171-178.
Bratman, G. N. et. Al. (2015) Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. PNAS; 112(28): 8567-8572.
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