How to Reduce Your Stress Naturally
One simple habit to help you manage emotions and feel better—no medication needed
Uncertainty and fear are the primary emotions of stress, leading to the longer-lasting emotion of anxiety. But you don’t have to let your emotions take control.
Walking is one of the most natural ways to ease anxiety. We’ve all felt it— tense muscles, a knot in the stomach, or maybe even a pounding headache. If you're one of the millions who live with anxiety, you know exactly what I mean.
We live in a fast-paced, high-stress world, and anxiety is a natural reaction to uncertain situations. People are going in all different directions, and we’re pressured from every angle imaginable. This stressful life can have a tremendous impact on our health.
As part of the fight-or-flight response, anxiety triggers physiological changes that help deal with stressors. Your heart rate speeds up, you breathe faster, and your muscles tense. This response is helpful in situations of immediate danger, and small doses can even be motivating.
But constant stress is the real problem, and we need grounding more than ever to get out of the fight-or-flight mode. Small, steady habits are both our armor and our antidote. There are plenty of ways to cope, and walking is one of the best.
Severe anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or extreme phobias, may require more medical attention. But most people experience anxiety from constant fear and worry without having an actual disorder.
What does calm feel like?
Once you learn how a calm body feels, clinical psychologist Dr. Alexandria Solomon suggests a new way of thinking that goes something like this:
I used to think to myself, “Have I worked hard enough to deserve to rest?”, and now I think to myself, “Have I rested long enough to be ready to step into my best work?”
Dr. Solomon explains that new research shows 80% of the messages in our brain come from the body. The idea that the mind and body are separate is no longer believed, and the messaging is not from the top down, brain to body, but reversed, from the body to the brain. It’s a more holistic approach and one I’ve advocated for years.
What does this mean for stress and anxiety?
As Dr. Solomon explains, interoception is the ability to turn your attention inward and pay attention to the cues and data murmuring inside your body. A basic self-body scan is the practice of mentally scanning your body from head to toe, simply noticing each muscle. As you move through each area, gently loosen any tension.
This gives you a sense of what a calm body feels like at rest — your baseline.
How walking can ease stress
Once you find the motivation, walking can make a big difference. It burns off nervous energy and eases tension by increasing endorphins, like norepinephrine, which help regulate anxiety. It also raises your body temperature, which has a calming effect on the nervous system.
One study found that a simple brisk walk five days a week can significantly reduce stress levels in women. 1
In this study, 380 women living in Philadelphia—initially all pre-menopausal—were followed for over eight years. Researchers found that women who engaged in high levels of physical activity, specifically brisk walking at a moderate pace (about 4 miles per hour) for an hour and a half at least five times a week, reported significantly lower levels of stress compared to those who did not exercise.
The study summary states:
If you stick to a moderate-paced walking schedule, it can keep your body mass index down and lower the risk of stress, anxiety and depression.
While the most active group walked for 90 minutes five days a week, the study also tracked women who walked for 40 minutes five times a week (still brisk and regular). All active groups reported better outcomes than non-exercisers. This confirms that brisk walking five days a week can significantly reduce stress levels in women.
Walking in nature
Walking is an energy booster. It’s even more beneficial if you can walk in nature.
The Japanese journal Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine reported that walking in forest environments (Shinrin-yoku) significantly reduced cortisol levels and heart rate, while enhancing parasympathetic nervous system activity compared to walking in city environments. These results indicate that forest bathing can promote relaxation and reduce stress. 2
Laurie Emerson of Biloxi, Mississippi, wrote in Prevention how she rediscovered the beauty of life walking in nature:
I never used to be much of a walker, so I'll be the first to admit that when my doctor told me to walk each day, I was less than thrilled. On that first walk, I decided to take my 8- and 10-year old grandchildren with me. As we walked, they pointed out different things they thought were beautiful, like flowers and trees. Now our walks are the first thing I look forward to each day, and we always walk a different path. I love our special time together, and I've begun to see the world through their eyes-it's made me realize how much of this world's little beauties I've been missing.
Since I live on the East Coast, my favorite place to walk is on the beach. Beach walking is consistently linked to improved mood and reduced stress. The beach is considered a "blue space," and exposure to these environments has been associated with lower stress hormone levels, less anxiety, and enhanced feelings of relaxation and well-being. Studies show that even short walks (about 20 minutes) can boost mood and lessen feelings of isolation or anxiety. 3
If you see me walking in flip-flops instead of sneakers, it’s because I prefer walking barefoot on the beach. The feeling of sand beneath my feet, the cool water, and the natural resistance of walking on sand make it my favorite kind of walk.
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Walking is an energy booster. Another study found that adults who walked for 30 minutes five times a week had more energy to get through the day, felt healthier, and were more confident than people who walked less frequently. 4
Michelle R. of California reports in Prevention that she is walking into her golden years:
My good friend Betty is 87 years young. While others her age are shuffling about in walkers or using scooters, Betty is booking it across the streets, trails, and beaches of sunny San Diego. I'm only 49, but her fast gait is my inspiration.
She told me the secret to staying spry is to remain active, even when your body wants to slow down. That stuck with me, so now I walk to ensure that I too will thrive in my golden years, as fully and joyfully as Betty does.
We absolutely need to keep moving, especially as we get older, for both physical and mental health.
That’s because exercise protects the brain at a biological level. Aerobic exercise, like brisk walking or cycling, can increase levels of BDNF, particularly in older adults over 65.
BDNF, or brain-derived neurotrophic factor, is a protein that plays a crucial role in the growth, survival, and maintenance of nerve cells (neurons) in the brain and spinal cord.
Exercise activates several protective pathways: 5
It increases BDNF and Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1), which affects how cells use blood sugar.
It reduces chronic inflammation, a major driver of cognitive decline.
It improves blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain.
It regulates the Hypothalmic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, lowering stress hormones like cortisol.
Steps to get started
Walking is universal. Almost anyone can do it. So why not turn it into a simple, consistent exercise habit?
You don’t have to walk the proverbial 10,000 steps a day; even 3,500 daily steps can lower your risk of diabetes by 29%. That’s about a mile and a half, depending on your stride. If that’s too much, cut the walk in half to 1,750 steps. That’s not quite a mile and may take about 15 - 20 minutes. The point is to get moving and keep moving, preferably outside unless the weather is too extreme.
Not a walker? Here’s how to get started.
Habits, practices, and strategies
If you’re not a walker yet, start small and increase your time each week. Making walking a daily habit strengthens the connection between your mind and body. Morning is an ideal time to reset, but walking at any time can be effective.
The most important part of this is to make walking a habit. There are many reasons habits matter. The author of Atomic Habits, James Clear, tells us that:
Almost every result you get is a lagging measure of the habits that precede them. Your physical fitness is a lagging measure of your training habits. Your bank account is a lagging measure of your financial habits.
So often in life what we want is for better results, but it’s one of the ironic things, the results are not the thing that needs to change. Fix the inputs and the outputs will fix themselves. Adjust the habits that precede the results and you will naturally be carried to a different destination.
It's the accumulation of many actions you take that deliver a better outcome.
Take a 10-minute morning walk. It may seem small, but it is huge if you make it a daily habit. In the summertime, maybe you can make that an after-dinner sunset walk. A study showed that a 10-minute walk can enhance cognitive performance, focus, and short-term memory.
Real results
One of the most powerful stories about the life-changing habit of daily walking comes from Lori Tumulty in Tacoma, Washington. She says walking gave her life back.
I was a 30-year meth addict. I've been clean for a decade, but seven years ago I had a stroke, developed many health problems, and gained 150 pounds. I changed my diet and started walking on a treadmill for just 20 minutes each day. Then I moved my walks outside. I've dropped 100 pounds and counting. Walking helps ease my depression and steady my moods and does wonders for my physical health and self-confidence. It helps me stay clean, because I don't ever want to return to my previous life. Walking also gave me my fairy-tale ending: I'm 61, and I have the love of my life back after losing him 25 years ago. I truly believe that if I hadn't chosen to walk that first day, I would not still be here. I am still determined to make my life better every day, by walking every day.
So get your walking shoes on and have a wonderful day!
Here’s your 6-Week Beginner Walking Plan – Joint-Friendly & Stress-Reducing Edition, ideal for older adults or those easing in due to joint pain, fatigue, or stress. It emphasizes gentle movement, nervous system regulation, and consistency over intensity—a perfect foundation for long-term wellness.
Download the PDF below.