by Alison Goodwin
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15 February 2021
Walking at night can feel a bit like a mini-adventure. Instead of succumbing to the settee you’re doing something different to your usual routine. By doing so, it opens up a whole new world both outside - and inside of you. Believe it or not, it’s a fantastic way of combatting those winter blues as it expands your horizons. And this stimulates your happy chemicals. Even a bite-sized bit of time after dark makes you feel exhilarated. This is because your primary sense - sight - takes a back seat while all your other senses become alive. The crunch of snow underfoot. Feeling the breeze brush lightly over your face. Watching silhouettes move in the wind. Looking up to a bright, full moon. The activity totally focuses the brain, so you become more aware to the natural environment around you. All those things you may have missed before, suddenly grab your attention. When you’re less distracted, you mind is calmer too and troubling thoughts may just disappear. Your capacity to feel awe increases massively. An emotion which many scientists now believe is more important than happiness ( read more about awe here ). This feeling not only makes you feel more positive, it helps you regain a sense of perspective on life. Certainly I’ve stood on top of a wild moor and seen a huge star-filled sky and it’s taken my breath away. No matter how many times I do these experiences, I feel awe which stays with me for days afterwards. I feel more connected to this world and yet at the same time just a small part of life itself. But you don’t need to be in the middle of nowhere to experience this. Take yourself to your nearest green space and look up. Or join us on one of our dark sky experiences .