Why you need to try outdoor coaching

Want to try life coaching to build your confidence or self-esteem? Why not do it in the place that is best for our well-being and where we feel most like ourselves? 

Coaching can feel intimidating. Talking about ourselves to a stranger can feel strange, particularly if what we're sharing is about how we feel, think and behave. Nature is a democratising and neutral environment. There are no expectations, no judgements and we can get away from our always-on, productivity-driven, digitally-mediated indoor lives. 

There are four reasons why you need to try outdoor coaching. 

1. It nourishes us

Nature is scientifically proven to increase well-being, improve our cognitive functioning (attention, focus, memory), boost creativity, and enhance vitality.

Most of us feel happier and calmer when we're outside. And the great thing about that is - our positive emotions broaden and build in an upward spiral. So the happier and calmer we feel, the more our minds open up to new ideas and possibilities. A crucial mindset shift for coaching.

When we're outdoors it's one of the only places where we engage all five senses. So by definition, it's where we feel most alive. 

What better place to work on our well-being.

2. It grounds us

To be grounded is to feel present, confident, and authentic. To understand yourself, and to be able to openly express yourself to others. 

Being outdoors helps us feel more like ourselves. Nature models what it is to be wild, imperfect, and ever-changing. It teaches us self-acceptance and therefore boosts our self-esteem and confidence. 

Coaching sessions in nature use metaphors to help us understand our inner thoughts and feelings. Talking about ourselves through the metaphor of a tree, plant, flower, stone, river, etc. is much easier than directly talking about how we feel and what we want. 

3. It restores us

Nature is an antidote and re-set to the stress, overwhelm and anxiety we can feel in our everyday lives. 

Living in the twenty-first century, we've lost connection to nature, and by extension with ourselves. We're on autopilot most of the time. We spend on average 10 hours sitting down indoors looking at a screen. Nature gives us a way of differentiating from that environment. 

Getting away from the stress, problems, and pressures we associate with that world helps us shift our mindset and think about things in new and positive ways. The results you get from coaching outdoors are so much greater because you feel removed from those negative perspectives. 

4. It makes us more eco-friendly

By connecting with nature through coaching, we attach part of ourselves to it. We start to see that by protecting nature we are protecting ourselves. There are studies to show that this type of nature connection encourages pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours. 

So if you want to have coaching, and want to make an environmentally friendly and eco-conscious choice, coaching outdoors is for you. 

Outdoor coaching is available no matter where you are in the world. Even if you don't live close by to me, or other outdoor coaches - the session takes place on Zoom and you sit or walk in your own outdoor space with your coach doing the same. It means you can't see each other, but you'll be getting all of the wonderful benefits mentioned in this article. Give it a try!