One of my favorite ways to work with clients is known as “Walk and Talk Therapy.” We do exactly that – rather than sit in a small office, we walk and we talk together, getting some fresh air as we chat about how you’re feeling and where you’d like to be.
There are many reasons why Walk and Talk Therapy is so popular, but one small reason that can be relevant for many clients is that it helps them experience some relief from anxiety symptoms – including those caused by hyperventilation.
Why Walking Reduces Hyperventilation Symptoms
Hyperventilation is a common physiological response to anxiety. When a person is anxious, their breathing can become shallow and rapid, leading to a drop in carbon dioxide levels in the blood. This change in blood chemistry can create sensations such as dizziness, tingling, chest tightness, shortness of breath, or a feeling of being “off balance.” These symptoms often reinforce anxiety, creating a feedback loop that makes the person feel even more distressed.
Walking can interrupt that cycle in several important ways:
- First, it naturally regulates breathing patterns. As you walk, your body’s demand for oxygen increases, and your breathing rate adjusts automatically to support your physical movement. This helps stabilize oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, returning your breathing to a more balanced rhythm without conscious effort.
- Second, walking engages the large muscles of the legs and core, which signals to the body that it is engaged in a controlled, purposeful activity rather than a panic response. The physical rhythm of walking can calm the nervous system, activate the parasympathetic response, and help lower physiological arousal.
- Third, walking creates more carbon dioxide. Most of the symptoms of hyperventilation are caused by not restoring your CO2 levels. This can help limit some of the symptoms related to hyperventilation, and thus, anxiety.
- Finally, many people experience anxiety caused by anxiety – meaning, they feel anxious about their symptoms, like unexplained chest pain, and experience more anxiety as a result. Walking gives your brain a “reason” for how you feel, which helps take the focus off of your anxious thoughts.
Walking is something that can be beneficial on your own time as well, even without a therapist. If you feel like you’re hyperventilating too often, see if walking can help.
The Role of Movement and Focus in Calming the Nervous System
The benefits of walking also extend beyond hyperventilation and breathing. Anxiety often narrows focus toward internal sensations – racing heart, shallow breathing, or tightness in the chest. By walking, attention shifts outward. You begin to focus on your surroundings, the rhythm of your steps, or even the sound of your own voice as you talk. This external focus helps reduce the sense of internal urgency that maintains anxiety symptoms.
The consistent movement also releases mild amounts of endorphins and improves blood circulation, which can create a subtle sense of calm and grounding. Even short walks can help, particularly if they are steady, unhurried, and combined with mindful awareness of your environment.
Why This Relief Is Temporary – and Still Helpful
It’s important to note that walking doesn’t “cure” hyperventilation or anxiety. The relief it provides is typically temporary because it addresses the physiological effects of anxiety, not necessarily the underlying causes. Once the walk is over, if the person continues to experience high stress or unprocessed fears, their breathing patterns may eventually return to the same dysregulated state.
However, temporary relief is still meaningful. Each moment of calm allows the body to reset and gives the individual a chance to reconnect with their physical experience in a healthy way. Over time, practices like Walk and Talk Therapy can help clients learn to recognize the early signs of hyperventilation and apply grounding or breathing strategies more effectively.
Walking creates movement both physically and emotionally. For many people, that simple act of moving forward – literally and psychologically – helps restore balance, reduce anxiety symptoms, and make it easier to process what they are feeling in the moment.
If you’d like to learn more about this type of therapy, please reach out to me today.