The art of strolling as a form of therapy

For a hazy brain or confused heart, there’s nothing more wonderful than a good old-fashioned stroll. If most people do it for their physical health, I mostly do it for my mental health. I am no psychologist, but I just know for a fact that strolling helps me ease my emotions and mental state. The movement of each step makes up for what lack in my capacity to think and feel during complicated times.

It’s a reflex. Whenever I feel down, I go grab my headphones and stroll around the neighboring streets. Whenever I need some thinking to do, I grab my dog and walk her around the park. Or whenever I am bored, I do a quick stop in the convenience store and proceed to stroll n the nearby roads. There are no specific schedules, it’s just dictated mainly by my moods and needs.

The art of strolling as a form of therapy

Needless to say, these strolls have been vital for me to maintain stable mental health. I’m not saying that I’m totally reliant or dependent on it, but it sure did wonders for me and my emotions. For me, there are countless things to do during a stroll, and there are countless elements that could make it an easing and helpful one. But at the top of my mind, it’s the basics and the most obvious one that makes it an appealing form of therapy.

Calmness in audible and inaudible

I have a habit of creating playlists for specific situations or emotions. Even in the most specific ones, like for example, feeling bad because I forgot a friend’s birthday—best believe I have a playlist for that! Most of the time, I save these playlists, along with the emotions it is correlated with, for strolls. As a student, I am mostly caught up in academics and house works. It’s a fast-paced world and I don’t get enough time to unload and savor the feelings I have. So, it is in strolls that I aim to savor all of these feelings. Whenever I am free or in the seams, I grab my headphones, go for a stroll, and hit the play button of the playlist.

During unlucky times, I misplace my headphones or leave them in low batt. It is in these moments that I go for a non-soundtracked stroll. Our neighborhood is quite busy and noisy because of the cars, stores and all. But believe it or not, there is beauty in listening to all these cacophonies sometimes. I get a dose of joy from the yelling and laughing kids in the park—youth is incredible. There is a subtle comfort in the whoosh of the passing cars. But sometimes, when I’m in the mood, I go for a stroll in the evening, when everything’s silent already. It is in these moments that I feel comforted the most, in the presence of silence for subtle static noises. No other things to head except for my steps, my heaves, and my heartbeat.

Solitude and bystanders

If you prefer strolling with someone, it’s okay, as long as it helps your case. But for me, the beauty of strolling mainly comes from having time for yourself alone—solitude and singularity. It’s in these moments that you get your valued intrapersonal processes. Ergo, strolling can be so personal too.

Strolling feels like you’re being separated from the world for a while, at least for me. It’s like you get to break free—you’re not involved in anything for a moment. While doing so, I usually feel comfort in seeing residents and bystanders along the streets I walk in. It’s weird but I get this feeling that I’m turning into a bystander, myself. I’m a bystander in my own life—not in a bad way but in a good way. Sometimes, I get tired of being the main character, making big decisions, I just want to be the character that doesn’t really need to do anything but just walk.

Familiarity in landscapes

The outdoor environment is where our biological rhythms harmonize beyond cultural constraints so we can forgive and find solutions. In my case, I usually just stroll around our neighborhood. I’m lucky that we have so many streets and public spaces to explore here in our place. In the process of doing strolls, I have grown accustomed and familiar already with the elements around here—the roads, houses, establishments, and the landscapes in general. I find comfort in this familiarity.

In a world that sets us off on a journey of constant anticipation of what’s going to happen, it helps to feel familiarity every once in a while. I achieve this by doing my usual strolls. Walking around your neighboring roads won’t require you to ask yourself “What’s next?” or “Where am i?”, cause you’re familiar already. You’re just basically enjoying the walk, no pressure.

Sometimes there are new things around the paths I take, but it’s the kind of news that brings joy. Newly painted walls, a new shade of flowers in the park, new stalls in the market. When I’m in the mood for creative activities, I find pleasure in taking pictures of landscapes while doing my walk too. Photo-walking is a different activity, but I heavily correlate it to strolling too.

Thinking and sweating

There’s nothing that eases a frazzled brain quite like putting one foot in front of the other. But aside from its wonders to our mental health, obviously, the most notable perk of strolling is to our physical health. I guess that’s what makes it an incredible therapy, it doesn’t only fix us mentally but also physically.

According to an article by Psychologies UK, we have a fundamental, primal need to walk – at least 40 minutes per day if possible. Time to walk helps re-energize our brain, calm adrenaline levels, and create a sense of clarity. This mainly explains why when return from a walk, we normally have the answer to an issue or any problems we may have been pondering about. Aside from that, our blood flows improve too, and with all the sweating we create, we could be losing fats in the process. I mean, could strolling be any better? We’re losing fats while gaining clarity—that’s a double victory!