Little Things

I have a few draft posts that have been patiently waiting for me to return and give them life so over the next few weeks I’m aiming to do just that, before I completely forget what I was planning on writing. Most of them are just titles acting as memory prompts but as this one also included a link I thought I’d move it to the top of the list. Not that you necessarily needed to know my thought process but it seemed as good a way as any to introduce this post!

So the article I had saved was from Buzzfeed about everyday habits which may be exhausting you. Of course this being Buzzfeed they have to over-egg the pudding with ‘exhausting’ but once you get past that there some helpful pointers in there.

Looking back at the article there are a couple habits where I think walking can help. So let’s take a look:

Slouching – We all know slouching is bad for us, and for those of us working at a computer it’s sometimes easy to find yourself slipping into a slouch. There are posture-correcting stretches and exercises, in fact I do like to do some yoga if I’ve had a particularly long day at the screen but do you know what else helps? Walking, of course! If possible it’s great to get out in the middle of the day for a quick walk to help stretch everything out but even if you don’t have time for that, taking a few minutes just to walk around the house/office is still beneficial. If it’s an at-home day then I’ll find an excuse to go downstairs to get me moving or maybe walk over to the window to see if I can spot a fox. If I’m in the office then even taking the extra few minutes to use the facilities on a different floor or to go and chat to a colleague rather than sending an email helps to prevent slouching. I also think that once you start walking more regularly, your posture will naturally improve and you’ll find it easier to resist the slouch.

Planning too far in advance – This is the one that originally caught my eye and why I decided to name the post Little Things (I bet you were starting to think I’d forgotten about that weren’t you?). I’m a naturally organised person and am not very good at being spontaneous however I do think we’re starting to go too far the other way. When booking holidays and events it seems you need to book at least a year in advance, in fact it is already possible to buy tickets to see Simply Red in 2025 – that’s 2 years away! While it’s nice to have things to look forward too there is a risk that we end up wishing our lives away and forget how to enjoy being in the present. You would think if the pandemic had taught us anything it’s that plans can change, there are no guarantees. I can’t imagine planning a night out, 2 years in advance and then either the event being cancelled or something else happening that meant I couldn’t go. I’d have wasted two years of my life just to end up bitterly disappointed. That’s not to say you shouldn’t book tickets for future events but just don’t forget about the present. Take the time to enjoy the little things. And this is finally where I link all this back to walking!

Even if you’re a fast walker, it is still a slow form of transport, that’s the beauty of it, it forces you to slow-down. When you’re walking you have time to notice things, you observe the small things and if you walk often enough then I wager this appreciation for the everyday pleasures will become second nature. At this time of year it’s lovely to observe the changing of the seasons, not just the colours of the leaves but visiting the park and seeing how the fluffy little cygnets have grown and are almost fully-fledged swans. Watching the squirrels dashing about collecting as much food as they can or simply listening to the tweeting birds. Of course these everyday pleasures can also be found in urban walks, perhaps it’s spotting a new piece of street art, overhearing a funny snippet of conversation or seeing some cute doggos.

I’m not going to claim that walking more will change your life but it will help improve your posture and it will hopefully help you appreciate the little things while you wait for the big things. Therefore by improving these habits you may just find that you’re not quite as tired all the time. Mind you if you do start walking a lot more then you will be tired, but a positive physical tired rather than a mentally, drained sort. Oh dear. Have I just undone my own argument? Perhaps I’d better end here before I lose the plot entirely.

That’s how I stroll.