Sanity Walks

This past week, I was listening to Katie Sturino’s podcast, “Boob Sweat“, (check it out if you haven’t, helpful and hysterical at the same time) and heard her talking about ways to cope with mental health during the pandemic. We’ve blogged previously about the ways in which walking and hiking has been a standard part of our daily lives, but also a tool for stress relief, and being one with nature. Katie referred to the walks as “Sanity Walks”, and we couldn’t agree more with that term.

It sounds hokey, but Gerry and I have really seen how much getting outside, and taking a walk, can reset us, often taking a stressful situation and diffusing it a bit.

So, it seems appropriate that the term “sanity walk” is more common these days. During quarantine, a sanity walk is exactly what is needed, and is such an easy task. You literally, walk. Just walk, to help keep your sanity.

Fortunately, we live in an area where we can take walks and stay away from other people. We carry masks with us for those random times we see someone coming up a sidewalk, of course, we cross the street and stay away, but for the most part, we can steer clear of human interaction.

I won’t bore you with the statistics of what a walk can do to benefit your physical and mental health. I’m sure you’ve heard it over and over again, and if you’re a follower of our blog, you’ve read it, so we’ll share how it has helped us during quarantine.

1. It gives us a goal! We have a goal of 10k steps/day. This isn’t usually difficult to attain, but we noticed at the beginning of quarantine, we weren’t getting 1/3 of that, so now, for almost 2 months, we have walked, at least, 10k steps/day. We usually go well over it because it is a goal we have, so we compete with each other to see who can get to the goal quicker! Nothing like throwing some competition into the mix, to motivate!

2. It gets us outside of the house, several times a day. There has been one day during quarantine, where it rained all day long, and we couldn’t get out. So, we walked in place, around the house–back and forth, until we got our 10k. Our sanity wasn’t as secure that day, but one day isn’t that bad.

3. It allows us to process. On our walks, we don’t have technology distractions, so we chat about things we see, what we want to do post-pandemic, but also we have financial discussions, planning meals, and banter that just brings us a laugh, and closer together.

4. It’s super healthy for Betty White. Even though half of our walk is her riding in a stroller, she enjoys the time outside of the house, similar to us. If you have a dog, you really have no excuse not to be outside, taking in some steps for your sanity, and his/hers.

Whether you call it a walk, stroll, or hike, do yourself a solid, and just get your legs moving outside. Even if it’s circles in your yard, alone, with your partner, or playing with your kids, it’s imperative, especially during these strange days, to do it for your sanity.