Walking Is A Reset Button

There are days when the tiniest thing can activate us—a throwaway comment, a scheduling mix-up, a family squabble so small it barely deserves a name. Recently, I found myself in a funk over one of those meaningless hiccups. You know the ones: I was a little hungry, a little tired, a little opinionated… and somehow it turned into a tizzy. 

I felt the tightening in my chest, my thoughts starting to race laps around each other. Instead of replaying the moment for the 25th time, I grabbed my sneakers and headed into the woods. I just walked. Twenty minutes later, I came back with a totally different energy. Calm inside. Clear. Reset.

Walking is a full-system reset for your body, your brain, and your nervous system. Here’s why it works—and how to use it any time you need to come home to yourself.

Why Walking Works

It unhooks the stress response.
When you’re triggered, your sympathetic nervous system (fight/flight) takes the wheel. Steady, rhythmic walking signals safety to your body—your muscles lengthen, your breath deepens, and your heart rate evens out. This tells your system, “We’re okay,” and your parasympathetic (rest/digest) response kicks back in.

It alchemizes emotion.
Feelings get stuck when we sit and spin. Movement helps your body process, like wringing out a sponge. With each step, your system literally moves energy forward instead of letting it stagnate in your jaw, chest, or shoulders.

It declutters the mind.
Bilateral movement (left-right-left-right) engages both hemispheres of your brain and has a calming, organizing effect on thought. The junk drawer of the mind starts to sort itself: what matters, what doesn’t, what’s yours to carry, and what can be put down.

Nature co-regulates.
If you can, take it outside (and bonus benefits if you can go barefoot)—trees, sky, birds singing. Nature doesn’t hurry, and still everything gets done. Without trying, we match that frequency: steadier, softer, SANER.

That day, I simply chose a trail and let my body find a natural rhythm. Twenty minutes. No phone, no podcast. Just walking.

A Simple “Reset” Walking Ritual

When you feel triggered, try this:

1. Name it: “I’m activated. I need a reset.” (One sentence brings you into conscious choice.)
2. Step out: If possible, go outside. If not, walk a hallway or around the block.
3. Find pace: Aim for steady and comfortable. You should be able to breathe through your nose without gasping.
4. Use a breath cadence: Inhale 4 steps, exhale 6 steps. If that’s too long, try 3 in, 4 out.
5. Anchor in senses: Name 5 things you see, 4 you hear, 3 you feel, 2 you smell, 1 you can taste.
6. Phrase to repeat: “With every step, I soften. With every breath, I return.”
7. Close the loop: When you’re done, place a hand on your heart, take a deep breath, sigh it out and remember your personal power. Not the power to control everything, but the power to regulate yourself. That’s the kind that changes families, teams and days.

So, the next time a small thing feels big, try this: grab your sneakers, step outside, and let the ground remind you what’s real. Twenty minutes is enough to meet yourself again.