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Feeling stuck? Go for a walk.
Long walks have become a dear friend of mine in the past 16 months. When the world turned upside down in more ways than one, I could always rely on a long walk to make me feel better during a bad day or improve an already stellar afternoon. I would love to give the pandemic credit for my obsession with walks, but I think the initial crush began back in 2019 when I started walking to work instead of taking the tube. When I moved jobs, my new office was a 30-minute walk away and I decided to ditch the tube in favour of the morning walk (as all Londoners can imagine, this was not a hard decision).
Initially, it took some getting used to — when I say ‘go for a walk’, most people probably picture walking through a beautiful park and not dodging angry commuters on London Bridge gripping their coffees while fervently avoiding any eye contact (no shade — I’ve also been this person). But once I discovered calmer routes and my favourite podcasts, these morning walks changed how I started my days. Instead of running to the station, missing 2–3 trains, leaning against a stranger’s armpit (moment of silence for all short people), and showing up to work looking like a wet dog, I started my mornings slowly with an inspiring podcast, and showed up to work looking at least 20% less like a… well, wet dog.
