If you are like me, you might have felt somewhat okay with the developments in 2020 and struggled through. You had your moments of frustrations, being overwhelmed and feeling a bit empty, but you managed to keep hold of a pinch of hope, that one day soon, it will be better and it will be back to normal.

And somehow, 2021 just feels... worse! It doesn't seem to end! The things you hoped for are not materialising, in fact, nearly every European country is tightening lockdowns and extending to god knows when.

I feel you, I am struggling harder this year than last. In my despair, I scrambled together the last bits of hope and dedicated a rainy day in January to come up with a creative solution that has the potential to tackle lockdown fatigue and bring us back to life. Drawing on Positive Psychology and Coaching research, I looked for inspiration to do something different, something that brings body and mind closer together.

The big topic that stood out was movement of the body and changing the surroundings. Many of us sit indoors all day behind a desk, traveling around the world in our Zoom meetings, while not moving an inch at all. This is not enough variation for the eyes, not enough stimulation for our brains, and certainly not enough movement for our bodies. As a result, we get stuck in our perspectives and it becomes harder to get creative.

So how can we change our homeoffice routine?

I started to review what I do when I don’t sit at my desk. Activities are very limited right now due to lockdown restrictions, but I identified the ones that give me the biggest sense of freedom, space, creativity and hope. It became clear that the single most effective activity I currently perform for my wellbeing is walking.

I know I know, you are getting sick of aimless walking! Same round around the neighbourhood every day…
It seems walking without a purpose is not doing the trick anymore.

So how can we bring purpose into our lockdown walking?

A feeling of purpose is created when our activities are aligned to our goals. So when we walk aimlessly around the block we know we are doing something good for our body and brains, but it’s not really our dream-come-true situation.

Think of a recent walk that stands out in your memories, because it was engaging and special.

What made it special? Why are you still thinking about it?

Chances are this walk is still on your mind, because you walked with another person and had an engaging conversation with this person. You exchanged different viewpoints, you discussed topics of interest, created ideas and generally had a great time together.

That experience is very close to Coaching! Coaching is a guided, deep conversation about a topic of your interest, a challenge that you have in front of you or an idea that you have in your mind. Whatever the topic, you want to untangle, shape or solve to create a clear path forward.

You see where I am going now, do you?

I invite you to take your coaching conversation on a walk! Add purpose to your lockdown walking by having the conversations that really matter to you! Take the time to rethink and shape a different future for yourself!

On that rainy day in January, I created a new service to help you bring purpose to your walks:

Remote Outdoor Coaching

Outdoor coaching will help you to step out of your routine, beat lockdown fatigue and give your brain the space to untangle big questions and problems to start building a sustainable path forward.

Outdoor Coaching is available for everyone - no matter where you live!

Take an early morning or lunchtime walk and have your Coach with you on the phone! You pick the topic and I will walk with you on the other end of the line, helping you untangle your thoughts and determine a path forward.

It fits in every busy schedule: book a 30 minutes morning or lunchtime walk for new perspectives.

Are you ready to put on your walking shoes?