YouAsk Kim
A woman in a seated twist on a green mat in a sunlit room, an olive tree and the sea behind her

Move · 20 min

Go out in the weather anyway

Grey, drizzly, cold: dress for it and go out for twenty minutes. Weather is rarely as bad from outside as it looks through the window.

20 minutesFrom the library, free to readFour steps
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On a grey day it is easy to wait for better weather that never quite comes. But most weather is fine to be out in for a short while, with the right layers. Going out anyway often turns out to be the best part of a dull day.

The steps

Four small steps,in your own time.

  1. Look out of the window and decide what the weather needs: a waterproof layer, a hat, gloves, shoes with grip.

  2. Get everything by the door and put it on before you can talk yourself out of it.

  3. Walk for twenty minutes on a route you know. Notice the weather itself: the sound of rain, the smell of wet ground, cold air on your face.

  4. Come home, hang everything up to dry, and have something warm to drink. Notice how you feel compared with before.

The reason

Why it helps

Daylight, even on a cloudy day, is much brighter outside than indoors, and getting some each day helps the body keep its daily rhythm. Being out in changing weather also breaks up a day that feels stuck. Many people find a short walk in poor weather lifts their mood more than they expect.

A gentle variation

If it is icy, very windy or too wet to walk safely, stand outside the door or at an open window for five minutes, wrapped up, and watch the weather instead.

Friends resting after a game, the sea behind them

WE · TRIBE

Try itwith someone.

Ask someone to go out with you: a reluctant teenager, a friend, a dog. If you care for someone, a short trip out in a wheelchair with a blanket and a waterproof cover can be a welcome change of air.

Make it a plan in HIVELIVE, with WE

Try it today

Next time the weather looks dull, put on the right layers and go out for a twenty-minute walk anyway.

Add it to your day

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