Ugh, seriously, if I hear the suggestion, “Ah why don’t you just go for a walk?” just flippantly thrown out one more time, I may eat my hand. Here I am struggling to get through the day, no, to get through the hour and someone just offhand says, “go for a walk” as if that will solve everything.
Whether it’s all the stress from Covid or just everyday hassles, we often don’t need or want those throw away remarks because the source for our worries can lie a lot deeper.
Joking aside, I’m sure most people mean well when they suggest it, so it’s good to keep that in mind. Another thing we can do is to analyse what happens when we go for that walk.
The obvious benefit is that we get outside. We get out of the house, apartment, van or wherever we are and get some fresh air. It’s useful to think, if I’m going to feel shit, I might as well be out walking instead of stuck inside. We can at least feel the benefit of accomplishing something.
The kicker here is that you are more likely to stop feeling down if you get out walking and here’s why. It’s a well-known fact that physical fitness helps our brain and body to function better. Walking is exercise. It’s empirically proven that exercise helps increase the body’s production of endorphins and many other amazing things in the brain. (1)(2)(3)
Another thing that happens is we get to see different places. Like a walk along the beach or river, or in a forest. Even a walk around our housing estate or city. Looking at and seeing different things can give us a break and distract us for a little while. It’s not about running, or in this case, walking away from our troubles. It is about giving ourselves a break. It’s about giving ourselves time to re-energise and be better able to deal with them.
A walk also allows us to listen to an audiobook, radio show, podcast or whatever you want to listen to. A handy way of measuring your walk from the standard time or distance method is to say; I’m going for a two podcast walk or a 4-chapter audiobook walk. This way, if you are finding the idea of walking hard or don’t want to be alone with your thoughts, you can focus on the audiobook you’re looking forward to.
One of the massive things that come from this is that you are doing something good for yourself. You are kind to yourself. You are showing that you care and value yourself. This is important right now because when we feel down, our opinion of ourselves drops so it’s just lovely to be doing something good for ourselves.
So, don’t swallow your hand the next time someone says, “go for a walk.”
Take a breath and think about what the real power of a walk can now really mean and do for you.
