Take positive steps to boost your wellbeing and mental health with Smile & Stroll
Join us for Smile & Stroll
(weekly on Mondays at 9am in Clevedon
or Thursdays at 10am in Tyntesfield)
Discover the power of nature, mindfulness and social connection
Are you looking to improve your mental and physical wellbeing? Join us for weekly walks in the beautiful outdoors. Our friendly and inclusive group offers a unique opportunity to:
- Nature's therapy: Immerse yourself in the calming beauty of Poet's Walk, The Pill, or Tyntesfield National Trust.
- Mindful Walking: Learn techniques to enhance your walking experience and connect with nature.
- Social Connection: Meet friendly people and build lasting friendships.
- Wellbeing Boost: Discover simple tips to improve your mental and physical health.
- Free gift: Reserve a block of four sessions and get free access to our evidence-based CBT programmes (valued at £30 each).
What people are saying...
Improve your wellbeing
Smile & Stroll is for anyone looking to boost their wellbeing, practice mindfulness, and meet like-minded people.
Tune into nature
Join us for a weekly walk and connect with nature. Our guided walks in the beautiful Poet's Walk, The Pill and Tyntesfield National Trust, will help you relax, recharge, and improve your mental and physical health.
A refreshing start to your day
Use our walks as a way to start your day, clear your mind, and prepare for the day ahead.
The beautiful outdoors
Our walks will take you through scenic paths with varying terrain. The route is is suitable for most fitness levels and is 'easy to moderate'.
Nature Bathing Invitations
We'll use nature bathing techniques to help you connect with nature, reduce stress, and find peace.
Connect with others
Meet new people, share experiences, and build lasting friendships.
Mindful walking
In each session we will practice mindful walking, to help you tune into your senses and connect with nature. This can reduce stress, improve focus, and boost your overall wellbeing.
Ongoing support
To help you on your wellbeing journey. you'll have access to additional resources, including guided mindfulness exercises and evidence-based CBT programmes.
Dedicated to your wellbeing
I am dedicated to helping individuals enhance their mental and physical wellbeing and have been doing so since 2006.
A warm welcome...
Hi, I'm Claire. I'm friendly and welcoming, and I'll make sure everyone feels comfortable during our meetups. I've been leading outdoor wellbeing groups since 2017 and people have told me I have a knack for creating a warm and inclusive atmosphere.
I love a good laugh and believe in the power of smiling and positivity, hence Smile & Stroll was born! I am also passionate about the benefits of the great outdoors and have created this informal group to help you…
- Reap the benefits of a morning wellbeing meetup in the beautiful outdoors
- Discover how green and blue therapy can help you
- Find a safe space to talk to others about wellbeing related issues
- Walk and talk with like-minded people and maybe go for a cuppa after
- Tap into the '7 steps to wellbeing', including mindfulness
- Use Smile & Stroll resources to boost your wellbeing between sessions
- Put into practice evidence based tips to further boost your mental and physical wellbeing outside of meetups
- Use the Smile & Stroll action plan to stay on track
- Gain free access to online Cognitive Behavioural Programmes with proven success rates
- Use the Smile & Stroll Wellbeing Scale before you start and to monitor your progress
Keen to join a support network, have a few laughs and boost your wellbeing under an open sky?
To book, please send a booking form by clicking on the above button.
Please note spaces are limited (full payment will secure your place)...
Clevedon Smile & Stroll: One-hour meetups at £9 per session or £32 for a block of four.
Tyntesfield National Trust Smile & Stroll: Two-hour meetups at £18 per session or £64 for a block of four.
Alternatively, drop me an email/message
claire.paul@harmony4life.co.uk
07813 138 171
Remember to watch this space for other meetups.
To find out more about Smile & Stroll and the evidence behind this read on...
About you...
Smile & Stroll can help you if you agree with ANY of the following points:
- I feel I need a wellbeing boost
- I would like to walk in a group
- I would like to meet people who want to go outdoor swimming
- I know I need to get out and socialise more
- I have symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression
- I work from home and feel isolated
- I am interested in mindfulness
- I would like to get fitter
- I am committed to practicing techniques to help my physical and psychological wellbeing
- I am not sleeping well
- I would like to meet up with a supportive group
- I like weekly routine
- I would like to benefit from the 7 steps to wellbeing
- I'm interested in addtional evidenced based techniques to increase my wellbeing
- I would like to be in touch with like-minded people
- I would like to be outdoors first thing to get the benefits of sunlight for the rest of the day
- I would like to exercisee regularly but lack motivation
- I am more likely to swim outdoors if I'm with other people
- I recognise the benefits of blue and green therapy
- I would like to exercise in the morning to set me up for the day
- I work from home a lot
- I would like to have some accountability to taking steps to boost my wellbeing
About me...
You may be wondering about me and how my skills and experience lend themselves to facilitate Smile & Stroll. I have a strong background in Psychology and have been using this to help people since 2006. I have completed a Natural Mindfulness course and would like to help others discover a deeper more mindful connection with nature.
I am passionate about the benefits of the great outdoors, exercise and social connection. I started outdoor swimming all year round in 2016 and set up a group to help others discover the benefits of this a year later. From this I know the impact of various factors that apply both to this and Smile & Stroll- being outdoors, exercising, moral support, to mention just a few.
Anytime you feel your wellbeing isn't as good as it may be, social connection can be beneficial for you. If anything, it will be even more crucial. It may be that joining a group feels daunting but please be assured I am warm and welcoming and strive to help everyone feel included and at ease.
I know how rewarding exercise can be in so many ways. With a background in Psychology and someone who enjoys exercise I am especially interested in it's psychological impact. I have experienced this throughout my life and want to inspire others so that they can experience it too, especially during what can be a challenging time of life.
The following concepts underpin this meetup:
- Exercise coupled with psychological techniques is really powerful and can help in many ways
- By addressing both physical and psychological wellbeing we can reduce stress, anxiety and low mood and increase resilience
The unique blend that makes up Smile & Stroll
As little as 5 minutes of mindfulness at the start of your day can have a huge positive impact. It can boost your ability to focus, increase productivity, reduce stress and enable you to be fully present throughout the rest of your day.
A short guided mindfulness session is planned to start each meetup. If the weather is not kind to us we may use a short period of 'silent walking' instead. This can be treated as a time to 'mindfully walk' (information about this will be in the joining instructions), to be able to tune into nature and notice the landscape, weather, etc.
The purpose of the guided mindfulness or silent walk is to act as a 'mental palette cleanser'. This can help you transition between two experiences; what you were doing prior to the meetup and the meetup itself.
It can help you disconnect from the former and prepare you for the latter. This is particularly true because mindfulness by it's very nature is about tuning into the present moment.
But what are the science-based benefits of mindfulness and how might they apply to you. To find out click on 'learn more'.
To reap more benefits of mindfulness you can choose to opt into the online cognitive behavioural programmes. I can prescribe one or more of these so that you can access them for free (read the '7 Steps to Wellbeing' section below to find out more).
Proof that it really can be short and sweet
Mental health professionals practicing mindful meditation just five minutes a day for a week experienced significant reductions in stress (Lam, 2015). This proves that just a little bit of mindfulness can make all the difference.
Ease aches and pains
One study suggests 80 minutes of mindful meditation could reduce the perception of pain by nearly 50% (Zeidan et al 2011). Backing this up is a study of Zen meditators who were found to have a significantly higher pain threshold than non meditators (Grant et al 2010). So, if you experience aches and pains in your back, neck, hips or other areas of your body mindfulness could really help.
Improve your decision making and become smarter
Research shows that long-term meditators have larger amounts of gyrification, or folding of the brain’s cortex, compared to non-meditators (Luders et al, 2012). The benefits of these extra folds is faster information processing and avoidance of ruminating on past events, which can distort thinking and decision making.
Practicing as little as one 15-minute focused breathing meditation can get you out of your head, remove the bias from your brain and help you think more clearly.
Develop your ‘mental armour’
Mindfulness can also help protect you from emotional events. One study followed marines who prepared for deployment by practicing mindfulness meditation for two hours each week, over an eight week period. The study found it helped them stay alert and in the moment without becoming emotional, giving them a kind of “mental armour”.
Boost your attention span and focus
By freeing the mind from distraction mindfulness meditation has been shown to help with attention span.
In a 2008 brain-scan study, experienced Zen- meditators’ returned more quickly to their pre-interruption state. It is suggested this is down to the ability to clear their minds of distractions.
This and other research shows that focus and attention is significantly better for those who practice mindfulness.
Increase resilience and equanimity
In 2003 Richie Davidson and Paul Ekman studied a monk with over 30 years of meditative experience. The purpose of this was to assess meditation as mind training and whether this can help us handle destructive emotions better.
Davidson and Ekman reported that the activity in the monk’s prefrontal cortex indicated high levels of equanimity, well-being, and resilience to setbacks. This suggests his discipline of mindfulness certainly paid off!
References
Effects of Five-Minute Mindfulness Meditation on Mental Health Care Professionals; Lam (2015)
Brain Mechanisms Supporting the Modulation of Pain by Mindfulness Meditation; Zeidan et al (2011).
Cortical Thickness and Pain Sensitivity in Zen Meditators; Grant et al (2010).
The unique brain anatomy of meditation practitioners: alterations in cortical gyrification; Luders et al (2012).
Thinking about Not-Thinking: Neural Correlates of Conceptual Processing during Zen Meditation; Pagnoni et al (2008)
Do you struggle to incorporate self care into your day/ week? Smile & Stroll meetups are designed to naturally cover 7 steps to wellbeing.
You can also opt to reinforce this by choosing a weekly task to practice between meetups.
LA GEMS is an acronym for the following 7 steps to wellbeing:
L is for Learning
A is for Achievement Therapy
G is for Giving plus Gratitude Therapy
E is for Exercise
M is for Mindfulness
S is for Social connection
These are all hugely important. When you join Smile & Stroll you will be given information on each of these. As you read more about the unique blend that makes up Smile & Stroll you will come across some of these and how they are woven into the meetups.
I am also happy to prescribe Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioural Programmes and ensure the usual charges for these are waived. This offer is open to anyone signing up for 4 Smile & Stroll meetups or more in advance.
You can choose to complete one or more of the following 3 evidence-based programmes:
* Basic Mindfulness (4 lessons)
* Mindfulness-Enhanced CBT (6 lessons)
* Stress Management (4 lessons)
These programmes are:
* Practical – teach core cognitive-behavioural coping skills
* Convenient – offer flexible, self-paced online access
* Comprehensive – contain a full dose of evidence-based, step-by-step CBT treatment
* Effective: 80% of people who complete a programme will benefit substantially, 50% to the point of no longer being troubled by anxiety or depression.
In addition to the above, other evidence-based wellbeing resources will be sign-posted for use in between sessions. To help with accountability you will be invited to complete an action plan template, and if you wish, share this at meetups with a buddy or in the wider group. The rationale behind this is that research shows you are more likely to commit to something if you share your goals with others.
To get the maximum benefit from Smile & Stroll please try to commit to completing a wellbeing step, however small, between sessions. As cliched as it sounds ‘the more you put in the more you will get out’!
Our relationships are really important for keeping us happy and healthy. Lockdown highlighted our need to connect with others in real time and there's never been a better time to meetup outdoors.
Smile & Stroll brings people together with shared interests and experiences. This plus walking and being able to enjoy the scenery facilitates natural connection even for those who may feel a bit shy.
‘The true charm of pedestrianism does not lie in the walking, or in the scenery, but in the talking,’ said Mark Twain.
It’s important we take more time to do what we do best: connect with each other. One of the most obvious benefits of a meetup is an opportunity to do just this.
Social connection means the feeling of belonging to a group and generally feeling connected to people. This is one of the ‘7 Steps to Wellbeing’ because scientific evidence shows it’s a core human need; one that’s essential for us to feel satisfied.
You may have a whole raft of reasons as to why you want to increase social connection… maybe you want to start the day off in the right way. Connecting at the beginning of your day if you are working from home or feeling isolated in any way is a great way to boost positivity for the whole day. Maybe you just want a support network around this phase of your life.
Perhaps you have found that you are growing out of an old lifestyle choice, such as drinking in pubs, and want to create new friendships around outdoor activities. Smile & Stroll creates the perfect opportunity to form new friendships, or to develop existing ones, if you come along to the group with someone you already know.
Whatever your reasons there are many benefits to social connection and one that is important in Smile & Stroll is giving to others through smiles, listening and sharing. Learning will naturally occur when we listen and we can learn so much from other people. The meetups are intended to provide a positive space for you to share your experiences and wellbeing ideas.
Research shows that as well as exercise alone releasing endorphins, group settings can do this through smiling. So when you’re walking with a great group of people during Smile & Stroll you will naturally feel better and more energised due to this double whammy of endorphins. These feel good factors are infectious and spread throughout the group like wildfire, benefiting everyone.
Science also shows that when we socially connect the pleasure-inducing hormone oxytocin is released, which reduces anxiety and improves concentration. In addition to this our cardiovascular and immune systems are given a boost helping us to function better.
Smile & Stroll meet ups generate a sense of camaraderie, because everyone is there for the same purpose. The people you see each week will hopefully become like family and you may feel a sense of accountability. For most of us it’s a challenge to be consistent with exercise but being part of a group provides the motivation and accountability to keep going.
Research suggests people enjoy exercise more with others than when they are alone. Furthermore, they’re more likely to maintain exercise if they’re outdoors in green spaces with other people.
In one study (York, 2017) group exercise participants showed significant improvements in three quality of life measures: mental, physical and emotional. This may be another reason people are more likely to stick to the routine of group exercise.
The Köhler Effect also means that we want to avoid being seen as the weakest link in a group. This translates to us pushing ourselves harder. When you join Smile & Stroll you will hopefully benefit from this both during and outside of meetups when there is the opportunity to put wellbeing tips in place.
Want to join a meetup where you can feel comfortable talking about your wellbeing? This group aims to positively impact your physical/ mental wellbeing so it's important we talk about this.
After your first meetup you will be invited to the closed Smile & Stroll Facebook community where you can connect further with like-minded people. The weekly resource to support meetups will be signposted here.
Also this community can help motivate you to take steps to improve your wellbeing between meetups. If for any reason a wellbeing activity doesn't feel right for you, there will be alternative steps you can take to help yourself.
Even if you are not sure you need any wellbeing support it’s worth joining a network that will help you better cope with life’s challenges. Within the group there may be differences between age or stage but we all cope better with support.
Do you get 2.5 hours exercise every week? The NHS recommends this and Smile & Stroll will help you incorporate extra exercise into your week or month more easily.
The mental health benefits of exercise are of course huge; it can help with low mood, anxiety, stress, confidence and self esteem. The great news is that simply getting out for a sociable walk will help.
There are many barriers to exercise. Maybe finding the time and the motivation is a challenge. Smile & Stroll is kept short for those under time pressure. For those with extra time there’s the option of a cuppa or outdoor swim.
Feeling self conscious or not good enough to do traditional forms of exercise can be a real block to getting started. Other barriers to exercise can come in the form of tiredness, achy joints and other physical issues.
Exercise works by improving muscle mass, strength, balance, and coordination. Therefore, unlike treatment with medicine, exercises work simultaneously on various aspects of one’s health.”
Walking at a set time on a regular basis is an obvious choice for exercise. This gives you routine plus the sense of belonging and feeling supported by a group. This will increase motivation to attend and therefore help you get regular exercise. Also knowing that you will be doing gentle exercise compared to going to the gym or running will hopefully help you maintain this.
Smile & Stroll aims to seamlessly facilitate interaction with nature, social interaction, and physical activity. Escape your immediate surroundings, take in the sea air and walk by the water whilst chatting to others- you won't even notice you're exercising.
‘Walking is man’s best medicine,’ said Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates. Indeed, once you commit to regular exercise it can be more effective than taking medication.
The simple act of putting one foot in front of another is said to be 'the perfect exercise'; one that is both meditative and rejuvenating. But what are the other benefits of walking?
At least 30 minutes of brisk walking or other physical activity is recommended five times a week. ‘Brisk’ meaning your heart rate will increase, you will feel warmer and breathe a little faster than normal but are still able to carry on a conversation. This is perfect for Smile & Stroll!
Even a short walk as little as 10 minutes can have a whole raft of benefits. A Ramblers factsheet lists the following mental health and wellbeing benefits:
* Physically active people are nearly 30% less likely to become depressed and staying active helps those who are depressed recover (Walking for Health)
* According to the NHS, 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 10 children experience a mental health problem in England https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/
* Being physically active helps people manage stress, anxiety and intrusive thoughts. It can also help improve self-esteem and mood (Mind, 2019)
* Regular physical activity can also reduce your risk of becoming depressed by 30% (Public Health England, 2019)
* Being active on a regular basis can also lead to people having more energy, feeling more relaxed and having a better concentration and memory (British Heart Foundation, 2018)
* People who walked to work reported greater job satisfaction and wellbeing in a study of over 26,000 employed people living in England (Chatterjee etc, UWE Bristol, 2017)
Being active also improves self-perception and self-esteem, mood and sleep quality.
Walking has numerous benefits, some of which are already mentioned above. Studies show it improves mood and reduces stress, anxiety and fatigue, all of which can affect us at different times in our lives. It can also ease brain fog and improve concentration. This is because getting fresh air and natural light whilst being active can increase focus.
Also, as slow movement pioneer Carl Honoré says, “travelling on foot can be meditative, fostering a slow frame of mind. When we walk, we are aware of the details around us – birds, trees, the sky, shops and houses, other people. We make connections.”
Use the following link to discover more health benefits of walking- ‘the wonder drug’:
https://walking.heartfoundation.org.au/
Spending time outdoors in Clevedon is really rather special.... it offers truly superb green and blue therapy. '
I strongly believe connecting with nature and absorbing it's effects is a massive boost to wellbeing for both body and mind but does research back this up?
Firstly, what to expect from Smile & Stroll …
As stated above and it’s worth repeating… walking in Clevedon is really rather special. It has “the most beautiful pier in England” according to John Betjeman. This was opened in 1869- a great part of Clevedon history and well worth a tour.
Poet’s Walk is simply magical and a fantastic way to see more of Clevedon. We start with a dose of blue therapy as we walk beside the stunning Marine Lake (opened in March 1929), which is said to be the world’s largest sea water infinity pool. This walk also takes in woodland and grassy areas, increasing the benefits of green therapy.
A trip advisor review says:
“Poets Walk (named to commemorate Coleridge, Tennyson, Hallam and Thackery) circles Wain’s Hill (Iron age fort) passing a WW2 pillbox affording panoramic views over the Quantock & Mendip Hills, the River Severn, the Brecon Beacons, Clevedon Pill, the islands of Steepholm and Flatholm, Cardiff and Penarth and distant views of Exmoor and Dartmoor… returning via St.Andrews church (of Broadchurch fame).
This walk is delightful any time of the year.”
Smile & Stroll routes will vary depending on the weather; you may walk up Wain’s Hill and Church Hill, passing by the Pill Box, the site of the Three Apostles and The Lookout. Your experience will also change with the weather of course. On a clear day you can look over to Wales and at other times it may be misty and overcast making it more atmospheric yet still very beautiful.
There is a range of wildlife including shrews, rabbits, peregrine falcons and a variety of other birds to mention but a few. Deer and badgers have also been spotted in the area.
Walking along the cliff-tops you can listen to the beautiful bird song as you observe the constantly changing views of the Bristol Channel, which has the second-highest tidal range in the world.
Smile & Stroll routes will always include the sea front as this can be most uplifting and revitalising. Over the years I have walked these routes regularly with clients and now I want to share them through Smile & Stroll.
Use the following link to find out more about Poet’s walk:
Poets Walk and Clevedon Seaside Stroll
Now for the research behind green and blue therapy…
A survey carried out in April 2021 by the Mental Health Foundation outlined the following positive impact of engaging with nature:
* Improved mood (reported by 70%)
* Positive emotions such a joy, calm and wonder (reported by 65%)
* Being able to cope with stress (reported by 49%)
* Less worry and anxiety (44%)
Research suggests that spending two hours a week in nature significantly boosts health and wellbeing. Interestingly prior to the pandemic the Mental Health Foundtaion survey found that 12% of adults were in nature for one hour or less. If you are one of these people, coming to Smile & Stroll can contribute towards your two hours to help your health and wellbeing.
The Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation Mark Rowland said:
“Nature can be a powerful ally in protecting our mental health, preventing distress and ensuring good mental wellbeing. During the pandemic, millions of us discovered nature’s power to relieve stress, worry, anxiety and restore us with positive emotions, such as joy.
While nature won’t solve all our problems – prioritising time in nature can really help support good mental health. However, the most important thing is the quality of the experience and feeling like we connect with nature by noticing its beauty and absorbing its sights, sounds, and scents.”
The benefits of walking and exercise are akin to being in nature or observing it. You may notice how much better you feel after a walk as it can improve mood and reduce anxiety.
This is partly because you can find it easier to focus on the present moment and your mind is distracted away from daily stress and tasks. Smile & Stroll focuses on reinforcing this so you can dial into your senses and be in the here and now.
Forest bathing was introduced in the 1980’s by the Japanese government to address a society prone to overworking. Time in nature was prescribed to reduce stress, anxiety and blood pressure. The main objective of forest bathing is to be in the moment by immersing your senses in the natural world. This serves to help you move away from focusing on what has already happened or what is (potentially) going to happen. Smile & Stroll is based on this very concept.
Ever wondered why you feel so good after a woodland walk, going to the beach, being by a river, in the mountains or just breathing in the fresh air after its rained?
This is because negative ions (small molecules that gain a negative electrical charge), are highly concentrated in places of nature. For nearly 100 years researchers have explored how they positively influence the mind and body.
Typically, rain, wind or sunlight causes an atom to break apart which produces negative ions. Therefore forests, beaches, waterfalls, rivers and just about any natural space will have high concentrations of negative ions.
They can bring more energy and vitality and help stablise mood. This can therefore help depression and seasonal affective disorder.
One of the key findings of research over the years is that negative ions positively impact serotonin levels in the brain. In contrast positive ions make us feel bad and we are often over-exposed to them via electrical equipment such as computers and mobile phones. This can affect our magnetic field by leaving us feeling depleted of energy so that we feel lethargic and tired.
So during Smile & Stroll you are invited to turn off your mobile devices and breathe in the fresh air. This is especially important if you are unable to freely access the benefits of negative ions in your everyday life.
Use the below link to find some more benefits of being outdoors:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/70548/11-scientific-benefits-being-outdoors
Smile by Spike Milligan
- Smiling is infectious
- You catch it like the flu
- When someone smiled at me today
- I started smiling too
- I walked around the corner
- And someone saw me grin
- When he smiled I realised
- I had passed it on to him
- I thought about the smile
- And then realised its worth
- A single smile like mine
- Could travel round the earth
- So if you feel a smile begin
- Don't leave it undetected
- Start an epidemic
- And leave the world infected
Interested in tailored one to one support?
I can work with you to achieve your goals, whatever they may be… CBT, Hypnotherapy and the other psychological therapies I offer can be tailored to address many issues, so if you would like to work on something that’s not included below get in touch.
My one to one sessions can take various forms to suit your requirements. These can be standard 'in person' meetings, Walk Talk sessions or via video/ telephone calls.
- Self esteem and confidence
- Social anxiety
- Interview success
- Public speaking
- Driving and motorbike tests
- Sports and music performances etc
- Depression, postnatal depression and low mood
- Fears and phobias
- Work and business success
- Stress and relaxation
- Peak performance
- Relationships
- Other positive life changes