My Issue:
I excessively worry. I worry about school, work, friendships, and all factors of life.
Although I have addressed this issue to myself, and I understand how worrying affects many others, I wish to stop my worries.
My Journey/Solution:
I have never been someone who gets enough sunlight, and I often find myself taking the easy way rather than the more rewarding way. Therefore, I decided to make a personal change.
Walking.
While my personal change is walking more and worrying less, I urge anyone and everyone to find a necessary change and MAKE IT! Change is never easy — but I can guarantee that future you will flourish.
Although everyone leads a different life, and time feels less and less abundant, small changes in your day-to-day routines can help when making a significant adjustment to your life.
When it comes to my journey with walking, the small revisions with walking have helped me overall with health and wellbeing.
How I Implemented “Walking” As My Change:
Although school and extracurriculars keep me busy, finding small ways to achieve my walking goals throughout my day make it easier for me to maintain my happiness and healthiness.
Here are a few examples of my daily destinations and how I manage to make my miles:
On Campus:
- Parking farther from my classes
- By parking farther from my classes, I make time to listen to some music, take in some sunshine, and have a natural mood-booster before any learning. The natural endorphins released through the exercise help keep me focused and energized throughout the school day.
- By parking farther from my classes, I make time to listen to some music, take in some sunshine, and have a natural mood-booster before any learning. The natural endorphins released through the exercise help keep me focused and energized throughout the school day.
*During Work:
- Finding ways to stretch my legs/doing a little more
- Work takes up a big chunk of my day as I strive to build myself professionally and socially. Therefore, whenever I work, I try to do as much physical labor as I can — I try to stand up as long as I can, and I even try to walk as I work. While I cannot always find the time to walk while working, even parking my car as far as I can from the entrance gives me a little extra push before work starts.
- Work takes up a big chunk of my day as I strive to build myself professionally and socially. Therefore, whenever I work, I try to do as much physical labor as I can — I try to stand up as long as I can, and I even try to walk as I work. While I cannot always find the time to walk while working, even parking my car as far as I can from the entrance gives me a little extra push before work starts.
Free Time:
- Walking whenever
- Finding a passion for walking and understanding how it affects my mental and physical health, I try to walk in my free time as much as possible. Whether it is with friends, with my dog, or by myself, I strive to take a leisurely walk at least once a day for as long as I see fit.
- Walking with friends
- When it comes to friends, I have found new common-ground when it comes to inviting my friends to take a stroll around a nice city park or even a well-known path. Having insight on how walking has changed my mood and perspectives, inviting a friend or even a new acquaintance to walk has become a great way to connect through conversation, but also strengthen a relationship.
*While these are my personal daily methods of implementing more walking into my routine, your new routine may look totally different. Whatever new passion or interest you start implementing, a new change takes time to both cultivate and become a routine. Never beat yourself up for not being able to follow through with something on your first try — you are only human! You got this!*
What are the Long-Term Benefits of this Journey?
Increased Sense of Self:
- Walking has not only made me feel more in-touch with my cardiovascular endurance and the movement of my body, but it has given me an understanding of myself. While technology is so prevalent nowadays, and I find myself scrolling through TikTok in my free time, walking gives me time to be with my thoughts and allows me time to reflect. Taking a break from electronics and normal work, the impact walking has made on my connection to both myself and my allocation of time has been detrimental to my health.
Happiness and Elevated Mood:
While walking helps with physical maintenance and keeping myself healthy, the benefits of walking have been more mental and help keep my worrying at bay.
- While walking helps with physical maintenance and keeping myself healthy, the benefits of walking have been more mental for me by keeping my worrying at bay. Considering the time I take out of my day to walk, and the endorphins I receive from moving my body, my mood has not only increased, but I have more motivation for daily tasks (and better sleep at night!). On top of the mental and physical health benefits, walking has given me time to listen to podcasts, find new music, bond with friends, and keep my dog happy and healthy!
Conclusion:
Starting off my journey as an excessive worrier, I did what most chronic worriers do — WORRIED. I worried about my lack of time and my devotion to change. But now that I am fully into a new routine of walking, I no longer worry.
Well … I still worry. But I don’t worry as much. And I feel much more confident in myself, my relationships, and my wellbeing.
Making small changes in day-to-day life, and accumulating those changes into a journey to better yourself, helps!
