Moving Forward is Not Just a Cliché by Kim Insley
Movement is medicine. This mantra has proven itself to me time and time again. During a season of loss, it has me thinking of how we speak about those moments in our lives when we must make the choice that comes easily for some, while for others seems impossible: The choice to move forward.
Following loss – be it small or catastrophic, people are often told they need to move forward. Generally, we mean it figuratively. But what if we took it literally and discovered by turning a figure of speech into physical action, we could move forward emotionally as well?
During the pandemic I made a habit of adding a morning walk to my regular routine. I heard it was a good way to set your intentions for the day, taking in both the light and freshness of the morning to wake up my body and begin the day. Those steps helped push me and countless others through a difficult time. Frankly, we all needed to get out of the house.
But there are times when the challenge isn’t collective. It’s intensely personal. It might be a struggle only you know about. It might leave you spiraling into darkness, unable to move at all. This is when literal steps become medicine for me. I shared this recently with someone I work with. She told me that during a difficult season for her, she would walk for miles. One foot in front of the other. Each step providing her with physical proof that not only could she move forward – she was actually doing it. Moving forward physically helped her find a path forward emotionally.
I feel that.
On days when my losses feel overwhelming, or my brain has embarked on its own personal doom scroll of thought, I lace up my shoes and open the front door. I have no plan, other than to put one foot in front of the other. And the next, and the next. With each step I take, my mind that felt stuck is presented with the reality that it is, in fact, moving forward with me. And if I can move my body forward, I can change my perspective, and my emotions with it. For me, it feels like a magic antidote. The full scope of my future path may not yet be clear, but I see a path, and I am moving forward.
Links Du Jour:
5 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Morning Sunlight for Sleep-Wake Cycle – Early Bird by AmeriSleep
Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Walk – Harvard Business Review
Two Minutes Du Jour 