The Efficacy of Aimless Walking

“All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.”

Frederich Nietzsche

There has been quite a bit in the news lately about combating the physical and mental health effects of coronavirus lockdown. In a moment you can find scores of articles on everything from meditation to healthy eating to why it’s best to turn off the news.

You might have noticed a number of articles about the simple act of walking. Until recently I always identified as a runner. You might ask, how the hell can I get excited about walking?  

Part of it is practical. I’m not the same physical person I was a decade ago. I will never again watch the world go by at six minute pace. I also realize the significant mental and existential benefits of walking. Yes, I said existential. 

While much of what has been written speaks to how walking makes us healthier, I’ve found that the mere act of slow, deliberate and rhythmic movement helps clear my head of angst over all manner of worry. It’s the same feeling I got running only…slower.

Now don’t get me wrong. I worry about the same stuff you do. But I also ruminate about scores of big-ticket things. I realize my brooding could be a major character flaw. It’s just that I’m often a prisoner to the existential spiral.

Here is a very short list of the maelstrom in my brain: the meaning and scope of the death caused by this plague, how young peoples’ sense of hope will be lost, the divisive politics of 2020 (Disclaimer: I am a left-leaning, environmentalist, vegetarian–borderline vegan, seeker), the quickening decay of our environment, the increasing wedge between classes, peak oil, the failures of small businesses due to lockdowns necessitated by the coronavirus, QAnon, Brexit, why my hamstrings are so tight.

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”

Buddha

Of everything I could do, walking seems to be the lane that affords me the greatest opportunity for renewal. In addition to their three cardinal rules for protection–social distancing, washing hands frequently and wearing masks, doctors and psychologists say getting out into nature is just about the most significant thing we can do to enhance our mental, physical and emotional health. Science is filled with studies demonstrating this.

A quick read on the interwebs also confirms that walking isn’t just an American thing. From Europe to India, people are writing about and promoting walking as a perfect way to maintain health and boost one’s immune system during this pandemic lockdown. There is even a new book on the wanderings and the creative effects on famous authors.

The two huge plate glass windows in our living room don’t lie. While it’s not a scientific double-blind study, my wife and I have noticed at least a five-fold (scientific term added for validation) increase in the number of people walking our neighborhood. These are not just dog walkers. These are dog-less walkers. Some stride with purpose, perhaps for fitness. Others are enjoying social time, as if their walk is a replacement for a conversation in a cafe or over food. Me, I fall into an entirely other category: Aimless walking.

“Your senses are sharpened. As a writer, I also use it as a form of problem solving. I’m far more likely to find a solution by going for a walk than sitting at my desk and ‘thinking’

Geoff Nelson, The Lost Art of Walking

I often don’t have a destination or a goal. I just need to move. It might be something primal, even pre-Neanderthal, about movement that seems to put the world into place for me. While I had ongoing conversations in my head about big issues when I ran, the slower, melodic cadence of walking allows more room for interpretation and introspection. I seem able to come to terms with my big-world fears more fully than at any other time. I could sit comfortably with a cup of hot tea in front of my fire place and try the same thinking, but it’s not nearly as effective as when I am walking. 

During a recent interview on my podcast, Interesting Humans, former therapist and current productivity coach Diann Wingert alerted me to to the fact that I may have ADHD. In many phases of life, ADHD is a problem. But walking encourages, even embraces, scattered thinking. Walking creates the space to order, to digest one idea, thought or fear at a time. I am always more content after a walk. And this feels amazing for someone who only felt energized and engaged moving faster than eight-minute pace in my running days. 

“I kept walking. Have you ever done that? Just walk. Just walk and have no idea where you’re going? It wasn’t a good feeling, but not a bad one either. I felt caged and free at the same time, like it was only myself that wouldn’t allow me to feel either great or miserable.”

Markus Zusak, Underdog

I understand you might think a perfectly good hike is wasted on what seem like unsolvable other peoples’ problems. But I can’t stem the flood of worry about this world and my place in it. That is clear to me. Walking is my coping mechanism. Getting outside and walking is how I make sense of life and the world for better or for worse. 

As James Taylor said in a favorite JT song Walking Man:

“And the walking man walks
He doesn’t know nothing at all
Any other man stops and talks
But the walking man walks on by
Walk on by..”.

Time for a walk….