Sometimes All You Need Is A Stroll…
The pandemic was a tough time for everyone. Being confined within the four walls of your house, with little to no work to do and plenty of free time may sound fun on paper, but it’s not as fun in reality. In the first few weeks, the outside world was frightful with all the countries fighting a common invisible enemy, but back at home, it was a bit relaxing. The whole family is at home, spending time together, watching movies, and playing indoor games. It was a much-needed break from the hectic academic and work life for many, and overall, it felt like a mini vacation, in a way.
We all know what happened next. Days started turning into weeks, weeks turned into months, and somehow all the excitement had died down, and being at home started feeling miserable for some reason. The very thing that we thought we were getting a break from, which was entering a monotonous routine, had returned. You see, humans are very predictable beings. We love following patterns whenever we can, we look for regularity in the most uncommon places. So, guess what happens when you are provided a seemingly never-ending amount of free time? You tend to form routines and schedules for things that you don’t even need.
The pandemic had eased, the restrictions on stepping outside were relaxed, and I remember it was during this time that I discovered a very underrated form of recreation. Something that had been right in front of me all this time but I had chosen to ignore anyway: putting my headphones on, playing some music or a podcast, and stepping outside the house. Roaming on those deserted streets, with none but you and the sounds of the music you love; your eyes taking in everything within its view, feeling the cool evening breeze on your skin and its smell calming your entire body. Having all of your five senses stimulated at such a deep level is a mesmerizing experience for anyone. The act of strolling alone, which might have seemed repetitive and boring, was turning out to be the most memorable part of an otherwise uneventful day. Like a cloud in the sky, wandering, passing people, animals, and places of significance, and not feeling tired at all, returning home only when it felt like you had been out for too long.
The legendary English novelist Charles Dickens seems to share the same experience in his book “The Uncommercial Traveller”. Dickens is said to be an avid stroller, walking miles upon miles at a decent pace, no matter the weather or the point of time in the day. As Dickens writes in The Uncommercial Traveller:
“My walking is of two kinds: one, straight on end to a definite goal at a round pace; one, objectless, loitering, and purely vagabond. In the latter state, no gipsy on earth is a greater vagabond than myself; it is so natural to me and strong with me that I think I must be the descendant, at no great distance, of some irreclaimable tramp.”
Dickens mostly used to go on walks alone, buried in his thoughts, or, one could say, dreaming. He used to be so much in resonance with his surroundings that he could describe the most trivial things that you find on your everyday walk to the grocery store in a fashion that would make you feel as if it has more life than any other living being in the world, something that could only occur in a dreamscape.
What Dickens and I didn’t realize was that this simple form of recreation that we had discovered was proving to be beneficial to the body, too. Studies have shown that even a thirty-minute walk every day can reduce stress, burn calories, improve heart health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, provide quality sleep, and boost your cognitive skills among other things. Have a tough day at work and want to clear out your head? Go for a walk. Have difficulty losing weight? Again, go for a walk. Have trouble sleeping peacefully at night? A walk prior in the evening is your answer.
If you look at it from a different perspective, there is a certain competitiveness in walking, too, as can be seen in the development of racewalking as an Olympic sport, with standard distances ranging from 3000 meters to 100 kilometres. It was first introduced in the Olympics, in 1904. Racewalking emerged initially from the British culture of pedestrianism, a term used for long-distance competitive walking events. It quickly spread to the rest of the world, with Russian and Chinese athletes being the most successful and Europe and Latin America producing the rest of the top-tier walkers. The World Athletics Championship also features racewalking as one of its sports, with separate events for men and women.
We all walk throughout the day as a means to reach our destination or as a means to pass the free time we have. It is something inevitable, something we have been doing unconsciously throughout our lives. But, for once, try walking consciously, and you will finally understand the difference. So the next time you are at home, and your To-Do list does not show anything worthwhile to do, put on your headphones and step outside your house, or maybe even leave your headphones at home. Walk around the neighbourhood, observing the things around you, listening to the thoughts flooding your head, and perhaps you will finally find the motivation to do that long pending task that you had been procrastinating for, and maybe finally find the answer for the question, that you have been searching for your entire life…
