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Walking helped John out of his flat
Partner: The Ramblers
Scheme: Get Walking, Keep Walking
Location: Birmingham
John Brace suffered from agoraphobia for 11 years. He suffered from mild panic attacks and a general nervousness about being outside his flat. ‘You put on a lot of weight…and obviously you’re isolated, so you lose all social skills. You become afraid to meet and talk to people."
John’s life and outlook on being outside changed when he and other nine participants took up the Get Walking challenge for 12 weeks. They signed up through BITA Pathways, a charity based in Birmingham city centre that specialises in rehabilitation services for adults experiencing mental ill health.The group kept logbooks to record their walking habits throughout the period, and for four weeks the group attended sessions led by the Ramblers staff at BITA Pathways.
They were encouraged to discuss the idea of walking and learn ways in which they could incorporate it more in everyday routine before venturing out on planned group walks. After four weeks, they set off on their own, using an information pack, and logbooks to record their walking habits.John said being involved with the project “accelerated my progress in recovering from agoraphobia”. Not only is he able to get out of his flat often, but attending the programme has instilled a new found confidence in him.“A while back I was reticent about meeting people, now I’m more confident. I feel like I can walk anywhere in the world now”
Now with a logbook full of his recorded walks he says “I’ve been walking a lot further, to the local park and further into town to do shopping. I feel it’s a great achievement. I did what I set out to do and it’s a great accomplishment for me.”
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