TikTok’s “Color Walks” Add A Cute Objective To Your Daily Steps

Think about what you typically do on a walk. Do you listen to a podcast? Talk to yourself? Fret about your day? While there’s a time and a place for those types of strolls, if you’d like to feel more grounded and present, you’ll love the idea of a color walk — a trend with over 11 million posts on TikTok.

To go on a color walk all you have to do is pick out a color, set off down the sidewalk, and then keep an eye out for items in that specific shade as you stroll. If you choose to look for yellow, then you might spot a yellow sign, a person in a yellow sweater, or a yellow chair outside a cafe. It’s said that looking for one specific hue makes it easier to stay present and focused — and it could even help ease anxiety.

When creator @.ashley.kay went on a blue color walk she spotted a bike, a dog leash, a Jeep, and an umbrella, and it seemed so peaceful. And when creator @kylerrieall went on an orange color walk, she found a leaf, a sparkly orange sign, a brick building, and an orange flower, just to name a few. In her comments, someone said, “Waittt, this is so good” while another wrote, “I need to do this. Such a good idea.”

Keep reading below for everything you need to know about color walks, as well as a therapist’s take on the trend.

The Benefits Of Color Walks

According to Prerna Menon, LCSW, a psychotherapist and co-founder of Boundless Therapy, color walks are different from regular walks in several helpful ways. “A color walk is unique because it directly engages your nervous system in a way that a typical walk may not,” she tells Bustle.

Instead of getting distracted by your phone, spiraling about stressful events, or feeling bored enough to go home, Menon says a color walk forces you to look up and out at the world around you in an engaging way.

“Instead of walking on autopilot, you are forced into the driver's seat of your mind and out of the anxious rumination you automatically engage in,” she says. “By [tapping into] your senses and shifting your attention from triggers, you can activate your relaxation response — parasympathetic nervous system — and invite calm, relaxation, and rest.”

If you’re been wanting to get more steps in, this could also be a big motivating factor. To turn it into a habit, you can search for a new color of the rainbow every time you lace up and head out. Think red for Monday, orange for Wednesday, yellow for Saturday, and so on. Keep going until you’ve walked for every color.

Of course, this trend is also a lot of fun. A color walk can feel like a scavenger hunt as you pop around town and see what you can see. On TikTok, many people make videos or take pics or their color walks, which makes it feel like an artsy excursion.

“Not only do color walks help us train ourselves in mindfulness, but it also heals your younger self,” Menon adds. “It invites you to embody joy, playfulness, and curiosity. So if your inner child needs a little loving, I would encourage you to take a color walk today.”

Who Should Go On Color Walks?

While color walks are for absolutely everyone, Menon recommends them to anyone who feels stressed or anxious regularly — aka the over-thinkers of the world. By looking for a certain color, it’ll drop you into the present moment and shift your focus away from the worries of the future or the bad experiences from the past. It’s also something you could try before a stressful meeting or to unwind after a particularly chaotic day.

“A color walk, much like the 5-4-3-2-1 technique, helps evoke the parasympathetic nervous system to come online by engaging the five senses,” says Menon. You’ll feel your anxiety melt away as you take in your surroundings and get out of your head. “The color walk also has the bonus feature of a touch of movement,” she says. “By engaging in movement the nervous system is further given an opportunity to expel anxious energy.”

Those with ADHD might also love a color walk because it gives you a lighthearted but easy-to-follow objective. “The interactive and engaging nature of color walks helps people sustain attention in a way that typical walks don't,” she says. “Instead of spacing out or feeling jittery, the brain is able to stay engaged in a playful and goal-focused way.” Love this idea? Then pick a color and go on a color walk today.

Source:

Prerna Menon, LCSW, psychotherapist, co-founder of Boundless Therapy