Walk It off
There’s something about the power of going for a walk that is seriously underestimated and not talked about enough (a quick google search would probably defy that statement immediately). But I’ve found for myself that anytime I’ve been at a point where I either can’t process my emotions, so far that even journaling what’s going on doesn’t help, that if I go for a walk for at least an hour then I’ll feel a bit mentally lighter afterwards. And that’s not to knock journaling. Probably the greatest tool I’ve picked up in unwinding my moments of overwhelming stress and anxiousness. But there’s something about walking that hits different. Alright, sometimes the weather might be a bit shit and that might put you off but even if that’s the case a quick walk around your neighbourhood might even be enough to tick that box of feeling good for getting out of the house. Something I’ve been overly privy to this past year or so. Some days I feel like a house cat. From working from home to writing music at home I seldom leave but to go to the gym or go to a gig. So, at times that little or not so little walk is enough to make me feel like I’ve accomplished something for the day alongside the benefit of it usually ‘clearing the head’ in the process. I used to walk my Doberman, Armin, a lot especially in my late teens and my fitness as a result of it was solid. Around 10% body fat and despite my problems at the time I was mentally sound because of all the walks.
If I bring my headphones with me while I’m walking then there’s a good chance you’ll see me on the streets shimmying my shoulders or discreetly shuffling as I walk. If I don’t bring my headphones then I’ll be singing to myself as I walk along. I’ve given up on any ideas of looking a bit mad walking around Rotterdam or Amsterdam singing to myself - there’s a lot more crazy than me singing to myself walking around these streets. What happens to me a lot on these walks of mine are that I end up having epiphanies (creative epiphanies) a lot of the time about music that I’m working on or performances that I have coming up. Particularly when I don’t have any way of playing my music as I walk. Then the ideas just don’t stop. The voice notes on my phone get a good turn when I’m in that flow. And as I said before I could give a curse what people think of me walking along singing into my phone because for me in those moments there’s only me and the clarity of my idea. I go into that state where you see everything in front of you but you don’t see anything at all. You’re in your idea. Consumed by it until you’ve released it and captured. I’ve written a bunch of songs this way. Just in pure flow on a walk. It’s trance-like. Hypnotic almost that you’re bound to the creative source until it decides it’s done with you. And it wouldn’t just be music. This would happen to me too when I was studying engineering, working as a quality manager and then even when I was doing data analytics. I’d go for a walk and the answer to my problems would be unfolding in my head. More concisely and quicker than it would than when I’d be sitting trying to map out the answer in front a computer screen. That same state of flow took over. Creativity at the helm. Me on autopilot going through the streets of wherever I was at the time, gliding by other pedestrians with my eyes fully open but feeling as if they’re closed and it’s just me and that stream of thoughts sitting together examining one another. Even when I was going through depressive episodes and I went for walks feeling horrible I firmly believe, looking back, that the walks I mustered myself out of my room to embark upon were little grains of betterment that my subconscious kept in reserve to show me that even at my lowest points I still cared enough for myself to not be stagnant and fall even lower. Movement seems to equate to fulfilment. If I think back to my lowest points I would’ve been sitting still or lying down a lot. If I think of my happiest moments I’m always on the go. The least bit of effort you can do to get yourself active, the least strenuous, the least sweat inducing is a walk. Weather permitting, tie those laces and get moving. And if it’s raining consider a good jacket. No point of an umbrella in the Netherlands because the wind will have it broken before you even open it.
It was actually after reading Anrold Schwarzenegger’s new book Be Useful Seven Tools for Life that I realised that I haven’t been going and walking as much as I used to and how catalysing it is in inducing ideas and alleviating angst. What I recognise from the closing segment of the first chapter of the book is that walking is a great conduit for creativity across all walks of life and it strengthens my belief that keeping your creative side positively active is what hinders us from depressive or anxious episodes. The way I see it is that if you allow yourself to become creatively still that your creativity doesn’t stop it just finds a new host within you to allow itself to live. Almost as if creativity rests in us as a symbiotic bacteria when we’re actively using it but transforms into a pesky, destructive virus when we neglect it. In other words, if you don’t exercise your creativity in a positive sense your creativity will find a way to manipulate the negative sides of your thoughts and express itself through them.
I promised to myself when I was thinking of this blog that I wouldn’t be one for bombarding it with statistics about how walking is good for your health and mental health. I’d just tell you how it makes me feel. How it’s not intensely euphoric but slowly soothing during and afterwards. Just the fact that you’re stepping outside to get up and move around is an act of self care. It’s a treat to yourself more so than Chinese food or chocolate because you’re making yourself feel good without the guilt that accompanies satisfying a craving. I can also take into account that I’m quite fortunate that as a masculine looking man I carry a privilege in being able to walk wherever and whenever I want and never really having to worry about the repercussions of where or what time I’m walking. I know from female and visibly gay friends that this isn’t always the case. So if you feel you’re vulnerable when walking alone why not try going a walk with a friend at a reasonable time and then you’ve got an added bonus of walking and being sociable.
