Nowhere to Be

I went for a walk today.

Not to get somewhere. Not to get my steps in, clear my head, solve a problem or listen to a podcast. Literally just to walk.

I left the house without a destination or plan and let my feet decide where we were going.

The air was cool against my skin, carrying that clean, fresh feeling that makes you take a deeper breath without even thinking about it. I noticed the breeze moving through the trees, I walked a little slower.

There was nowhere to be.

I noticed the sound of my footsteps. The occasional bird calling from somewhere above me. The rustle of leaves underfoot. A dog barking in the distance. Ordinary sounds that I might usually walk straight past without hearing.

Today, I heard them.

The sun appeared through the branches for a moment, warming my face before disappearing again. I stopped and felt the breeze move across my arms. I breathed in. Fresh air. I breathed out.

And for a few moments, there was nothing I needed to do. No decision to make. No list to complete. No place I was supposed to be.

Just the path beneath my feet.

The trees moving gently in the breeze. The warmth of the sun. The coolness of the air. And the quiet reminder that sometimes, going nowhere is exactly where we need to go.

There's something calming and at the same time energising, about walking without turning it into another thing we're supposed to be good at.

Just feet, air, trees, breath… and nowhere to be.

When is the last time you just….strolled?

No rushing to get somewhere, no phone distractions, no heavy bag weighing you down on one side or gripping it onto your side, bracing your shoulder to keep it in place. Just, walked with nowhere to go and no plan other than to just, casually walk.

Life gets in the way and there’s more on our to-do lists than ever these days, but the difference a simple time-out walk can do for us is highly underestimated and undervalued. Allow yourself to take a minute to think how you might feel being able to do this, picture yourself going for the walk without the commentary or narrative, and notice how even the thought of being able to do that softens you a bit.

Maybe not on the first one, but creating this habit signals to our system that we can relax, take time out for ourselves and not madly rush from one thing to the other. Digestion improves, cortisol levels can drop, we feel calmer, we start to think clearer, creativity has a chance to find it’s way into our day again.

On a physical level, this slow casual walk allows our arms to fall into line with the natural swing of our body, letting our shoulders soften and relax down away from our ears. Our feet have a better chance at relaxing and rolling through each step, which in turn is kinder on our knees and hips, decreasing the force through them by up to 20%. We can breathe easier because our body isn’t bracing through the rush that it’s used to, the ribcage has the space and freedom to expand with each breath.

So make the time, just go for a walk with nowhere to go.