Pandemic Winter Health Hacks

Walk and Talk Every Day

Movement and emotional release are vital right now

It’s rare that I make it through an otherwise-at-home day without walking and talking. This pandemic necessity happens in one of two ways: Either I walk in the woods, by the water, or through my neighborhood alongside someone in my family bubble, or (thanks to the magic of headphones) I do it while engrossed in a phone conversation with someone dear to me. The ingredients are simple: I need to move, and I need to want to spend the time with my real-time or audio companion (all obligatory or task-specific calls strictly prohibited). The results are also simple, as well as powerful: I laugh, I feel connected, I inevitably learn, I sometimes cry, and always — without fail — I feel better afterward.

When I look back on this restricted lifestyle in a year or a decade, I suspect walking and talking will rise to the surface of what got me through. So, as winter dawns—a season that can feel especially isolating—I can’t recommend this practice enough to anyone needing more connection. Even therapists are increasingly taking to the streets with their clients.

What if you don’t have someone to walk with? I promise there’s something about motion in the out-of-doors that makes phone conversation more fluid. Give it a try — and don’t give up if the first go is awkward. After all, habits take a few rounds to form. Remember your first Zoom? But if you’re truly not a phone person, try listening to a podcast. Let someone else do the talking, and soak it up as you move. Take refuge in witnessing your surroundings as you listen, learn, and exercise. You’ll sleep better for it.

Illustration: Sophi Gullbrants