Going for a walk in the woods has been a recommended way to feel calm and reconnect to the world for centuries. The U.S. National Park Service suggests that even a 5-minute walk “improves mood, self-esteem, and relaxation.”

A walk outdoors can help almost anyone — including those who are grieving.

That’s what prompted Centrica Care Navigators Grief Support counselor Jill to start a walking grief group, which heads out the second Sunday of each month for about an hour. The first session is 2:00 p.m. July 14 at the Portage Creek Bicentennial Trail (910 E. Milham Ave. in Portage).

The walk will keep attendees moving and talking — though it isn’t meant to be a fitness walk, and everyone can move at their own pace. The goal, Jill says, is to help people who are grieving talk about their grief, if they want to, or simply to meet others who have lost someone they care about.

“Walking provides stimulation,” Jill says. “It helps access painful memories and bring them to a place where you can process.”

Growing around grief

Discussion is the key to this walking group, she says. Each walk will have a theme, like “Grief is messy” or “Guilt and regret.” While walkers are strolling down the trail, they can use the theme to help them think about their own loss and what they can do to grow around their grief.

That’s a concept that Centrica Care Navigators grief counselors mention to many of the people they meet with: grief is not something that will eventually be forgotten and fade away. Instead, it becomes less intense over time, and rather than being ignored, it is part of the person’s life as they continue to live.

“People integrate grief into their lives, they learn to live with it,” Jill says.

Another goal for the group is to bring a number of people together. Grief is often thought of as something a person does alone, but it doesn’t have to be, and for many, it’s better to have someone to talk with.

Scheduling the walking group for once a month on Sunday afternoons is a way to include grievers who would otherwise be at work or school. Centrica Care Navigators grief meetings are flexible, and try to be accessible to everyone, but schedules can get busy, so out-of-the-ordinary meeting times can be beneficial for people who need grief support but can’t normally find the time for it.

Moving while grieving

Jill knows the value of being physically active while grieving. Her dad died when she was 20 years old, and she says she walked for “miles and miles” during that time of her life.

“Grief is very physical,” she says. “Moving your body can help move the grief so it doesn’t get ‘stuck.’”

Now, as a grief counselor, she says she recognizes the importance of moving while grieving and making connections with other people who have experienced a loss. The walking group allows attendees to do both outside the more structured format of an indoor group meeting.

“The environment is a little less formal, and there’s more social support,” Jill says. “Just having people to talk to can help in grieving.”

For more about our grief groups and all the services Centrica Care Navigators provides, discover more here on our website, join us on social media, or call us at 269.345.0273.