Walk away your worries

Spring is here! The trees are full of blossom and you can smell it in the air. I can also feel it in my eyes – eye drops already in regular use to keep that pesky pollen at bay. I’m lucky that I live in Ealing, one of the most tree-lined boroughs, but even walking in downtown London you can sense that the new season is here. This refreshing pleasure of walking reminded me of a presentation I attended earlier this month at the Market Research Society Conference, by Bruce Daisley, VP EMEA of Twitter. Given their concentration on all things digital – or maybe because of their concentration, it was very interesting to hear him extol the benefits of a healthy workplace culture. This includes working in small and ‘safe’ teams,  not totally buying into open plan offices because we all need somewhere semi-private to share discussions and ideas, and that we should take lunch breaks and have a walk outside whenever we can.  Walking frees the mind and stimulates creativity. Bruce reckons that ‘walking meetings’ are particularly productive.  A study published in the journal ‘Science Advances’ this month found that our moods are lifted significantly by beautiful surroundings. It could be the countryside but it could equally be characterful buildings or bridges. There’s a Latin phrase ‘solvitur ambulando’ which means ‘it is solved by walking’ that sums up this wonderful activity – it could be the remedy for many of our worries?