3 Reasons Why I Never Talk on My Phone During My Daily Walk. And Why You May Not Want to Either After Reading This
Photo Credit: Fila Dendron via Canva
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Kat OM. I write about the things we should have learned when we were kids that will help you
become more emotionally resilient and lead a happier life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every day you see people talking on the phone while exercising outside. It’s a pretty common sight. Maybe you’re one of them too? I’m going to share with you today why I make it a hard fast rule never to talk on the phone while I’m outside exercising.
I walk along a bay here in New York City. I see people on the phone every morning. Some are making business deals; others are talking to friends or family. I see moms and dads with the stroller, and dog in tow, trying to squeeze in the fresh air, exercise, and work simultaneously. But most I see on my walk are on personal phone calls.
So, here’s why I don’t talk on the phone while I am out for a walk and why you may not want to either after you read this.
The reason I make it a rule never to chat with family or friends while I’m out for a walk is that it’s my time to myself to recharge. By recharging, I mean releasing all the stress and negativity that builds up during the day. This recharging gives me more space and energy to be fully present for work and my personal life. That’s right, just like that cell phone you’re talking on, you need to recharge too.
If you walk in a park and you’re on the phone, you’re distracting yourself from the peace around you. Rather than recharging, you’re using more of your energy on family and friends. I don’t even make fun calls to my besties while I’m out on my walk. It may not seem like you’re doing any harm, especially if it’s a fun call, but you’re most likely not as recharged from your walk as you would be, had you not spent that time on the phone.
If you have a stressful lifestyle, running from one thing to the next. Take this as Rx orders from a Resilience Mindset and Joy coach. Take this time to refresh and renew. I guarantee you will feel so much better to take on the rest of the day when you do this and follow the steps below.
I do give moms and dads out there trying to juggle work, exercise, and family life at the same time a pass. I know you have limited time. So try to work this in when you can.
Making a “no phone” policy during your walks may take time to get used to at first. So many of you are so attached to your phones. You don’t know how to be without them. You don’t know how to be by yourself and enjoy your own company and connect with peace and nature. But that’s all about to change.
Challenge yourself for 14-days. The first week is to wean yourself of old habits. The second week is to start enjoying this new practice. Then after two weeks, you may find you love this new “no talking on the phone while walking” rule and make it a new mental wellness habit.
The good news is that not every day is stressful. Life ebbs and flows. So on good days, build up a surplus. Fill up your reserve tank with more peace and joy. You will feel your joy double by doing this!
. . .
3 REASONS TO STAY OFF YOUR PHONE AND WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
1) CONNECT WITH NATURE
If you’re on your phone, you’re not connecting with nature.
LOOK: at all the beautiful flowers, birds, and butterflies you miss while you’re busy chatting on your phone. Look up at the clouds and the big beautiful blue sky and take the beauty of the day in. See how tall the trees are and how they move in the breeze.
LISTEN: to the birds sing and the rustle of the trees in the breeze,
TOUCH: Take off your shoes and ground yourself in the grass and the earth. Feel the earth beneath you. Pick wildflowers. Bring them home. Place them in small jars around your home.
SMELL: Smell the fresh grass and the fresh air.
Photo credit: Author, Kat OM
2) CONNECT WITH PEOPLE
I know; I’m saying stop talking to the person on the phone and start talking and connecting with the people in front of you. I wrote a blog on how I started saying “Hi” to people during my walk was life-changing for me. You can read it here. I had walked in this same park for eight years and never spoke to anyone. This is New York City; we don’t say “Hi” to people we don’t know, especially on the street. But the park is different. There are so many regulars I see in the park every morning. It feels good connecting with people. It feels like a community. It makes my day and walks so much better, and theirs too. Start saying “Hi” and connecting with people you see on your walk every day, and you’ll start feeling a difference. If you’re doing it already, great!
. . .
3) CONNECT WITH SPIRIT, CONNECT WITH YOURSELF
When I start my walk, I don’t even listen to music. Instead, I do a walking meditation. For me, that’s walking in nature and being present. I connect with myself. I take time to observe my thoughts from a distance without being attached to them. Just like the clouds above me, I let them float away. I connect to nature and the beauty of the day. I feel the energy of nature, God, and the Love of the Universe. Helping and supporting me every step of the way. I am not alone. I breathe it in, and I let it go. Repeat as often as you wish if it feels good. As author Gabby Bernstein says, “It feels good to feel good.” It is when I am on my morning walks that I am so connected with my intuition and creativity. I receive so many ideas for work and my personal life.
After my walk, I like to sit along the bay for a moment connecting with everything. I take it all in and share my gratitude for this moment.
At the end of my walk I am refreshed and renewed. I would miss experiencing all this if I were on my phone.
. . .
Kat OM is a Resilient Mindset and Joy Coach based in New York City. Her signature program, Mindful Resilience, provides 21 tools and lessons to help keep you emotionally resilient through life. She is also the author of Resilient Love: Turn Your Wounds into Your Wings. You can also find Kat OM at: KatOMLife.com | IG: kat.om.transform.your.life | FB: katOM30
