As a business that trialled its first product in lockdown, built a team in lockdown and then opened its doors for business in lockdown, we’ve only ever known home-working. We got to know each other, our Makers, our consultants and our customers through mobile and laptop screens. And we’ve fast-tracked friendships that will last forever (taking a meeting whilst trying to clean up after a puppy, let in the plumber or answer a question on long division does that).
We try to ensure we apply all we learn and share here. We’re making what we put on our plates a priority, we’re trying to journal, we’re taking time to breathe...we’re even doing the cold showers (and that is not just related to the comment above about emergency plumbers!).
But the thing that has helped create a sense of connectivity, is when we step away from the screens, for our team Wonder Walk. The premise is simple. We set up a group call. We leave the house. We dial in and we each share 1 win, 1 challenge and 1 ask of each other. We get our exercise. We get closer. And, when we remember, we share a photo of what we see - what brings us a sense of wonder.
There is much research into the physical benefits of walking. But there is growing research into its impact on the brain too. In an interview for The Guardian on his life’s work, Neuroscientist Shane O’Mara goes as far as calling it a superpower;
A 2018 study that tracked participants’ activity levels and personality traits over 20 years, found that those who moved the least scored lower in the positive traits of openness, extraversion and agreeableness. There is substantial data showing that walkers have lower rates of depression, too.
In order to walk and navigate, the brain flickers between regions, just as our waking minds are often, says O’Mara, ‘flickering between big-picture states – thinking about what we have to do tomorrow, plans for next year..engaged in what is called ‘mental time travel’ – and task-focused work. And you need to flicker between these states in order to do creative work. That’s how important associations get made, and this flickering seems to be bolstered by walking.’
The earliest root of the word ‘walk’ is ‘wel’, meaning, ‘to turn, bend, twist, roll’ - and that is what walking and talking does. It is that act of moving forward, together - in conversation right now, if not in person - that affects us. The act of moving, can move us.
There is something incredibly liberating about letting the rhythm of the walk itself inform the flow of conversation. Of appreciating too the shared orchestra of different background noises in different locatons.
So this weekend, if you’re missing the people you love, instead of forcing yourself to plaster a tired smile to your face and scheduling another Zoom party, why not fix a date to take a Wonder Walk with a friend instead? Wrap up, put in your headphones, set a pace that gets your heart pumping, and see where your feet and the conversation take you.
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