Do you recognise the frustration of grinding to a halt in the middle of a project, when inspiration dries up and you just feel stuck? It might be a creative endeavour, like a painting or piece of writing, or an essay or presentation at work. You’re staring at a blank screen and nothing’s flowing. One solution might be to put down the pen or switch off the computer, step away from the desk and go out for a walk.
Not convinced? You’d be following in the footsteps of a string of famous thinkers who had some of their best ideas while out for a stroll. German composer Ludwig van Beethoven was known to carry blank pages of sheet music and a pencil when out walking, while his fellow countryman, physicist and inventor Albert Einstein, refined his ideas while pacing his university campus. English author Virginia Woolf was said to have found inspiration while walking, using the time to let her mind wander and to observe both people and nature. Austrian-born actor and former politician Arnold Schwarzenegger makes time in his day for transformative walks, and the late US entrepreneur and Apple founder Steve Jobs was known for his walking meetings.
Get your brain pumping
Not only can walking make you feel better physically, it also increases the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain in a gentle way, without necessarily leaving you out of breath. This can help you think better and with more focus. A study at the University of Leicester in the UK even found that 10 minutes of brisk walking a day can increase life expectancy. Annabel Abbs-Streets, from London, author of 52 Ways to Walk, says: ‘Think about your posture when you’re working. You might be hunched over a desk or laptop and it’s a very closed position, you might be taking small, shallow breaths, too. As soon as you get outside and start walking, you start breathing more deeply, your shoulders straighten and your mind opens up.’ She also points to the cathedral effect – the idea that high ceilings promote abstract thinking and creativity, which studies have supported. ‘Think about how much space you have above you when it’s just the sky,’ she adds. The sky is quite literally the limit.
Annabel, who also writes fiction and non-fiction under the name Annabel Abbs, says she gets some of her best ideas while out walking: ‘It’s quite a common tool among writers. Going out for a walk is part of many people’s creative process.’
Clear the mind
Walking can also be a useful way to wipe the slate clean if worry, anxiety or ruminative thinking is clouding your judgment. You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘Going out to clear your head’. One of the beauties of walking is that it requires some – but not all – of your attention, which can leave the mind free to wander in different directions as you observe your surroundings and feel the air against your skin. Says Annabel: ‘There’s a psychological element to it – you are stepping away from your desk and moving towards something new, and when you’re out for a walk, there are so many possibilities. You don’t know what you’re going to see, who you’re going to meet, what dogs you might stop to stroke. You’re opening yourself up to new experiences, and this seems to open the mind up, too.’
Beth Dowler, from Comber in Northern Ireland, runs guided hikes in County Down and beyond. She says: ‘Going out hiking gives me such a sense of freedom and rejuvenation. I sleep better, think better and do everything better after a walk.’ Beth used to live in Vienna in Austria, where she worked as a teacher, and loved hiking in the Alps. ‘I sometimes sat and marked my student’s essays in a mountain hut,’ she says. ‘My colleagues used to ask to come with me, and those were some of the best staff meetings we ever had. We came up with so many great ideas while out walking together. One of the beauties of walking with someone else is that if you don’t speak for a bit, that’s okay. You can fall in and out of conversation naturally.’
Feel the rhythm
Researchers believe that repeated rhythm, such as that of regular footsteps while walking, can help regulate the nervous system. American psychiatrist Bruce Perry has written about how such rhythmic activities can calm the brainstem, which can ease the fight-flight-freeze mode and bring a greater sense of equilibrium. In turn, this can provide space to think creatively. Says Annabel: ‘The rhythm of the body creates a place of stillness for the mind, a bit like the role of breathing in meditation, which allows ideas to bloom.’ She adds that, for her, shoes that enhance the sound of her footsteps emphasise the sense of rhythm. ‘It becomes a creative pulse or beat – so mix up the footwear,’ she suggests. Looking for rhythm in your walk can be a great way to calm an overactive or ruminative mind, too. Beth does something similar on her own hikes and suggests it on her guided trails with Wild Ireland Walks, too. ‘If you’re finding it hard to let all the things in your head go, try counting your steps or your breaths,’ she says. ‘Just do it from tree to tree for that little bit of freedom and connection.’
Annabel is also an advocate of walking at different times of the day – including taking evening or night strolls beneath the stars. ‘In my workspace, I’m looking at the same things all day, every day, so when I go out for a walk, it’s important to mix things up as much as I can,’ she says. Even if you regularly walk in the same park or neighbourhood, you can make the experience different by going out at different times of day, in different weathers, and noticing things like the changing of the seasons and the differences in light, temperature and scents. A moonlight walk might bring a flash of inspiration, too. ‘Walking can feel like eavesdropping on the planet,’ adds Annabel. ‘Ideas come merely from overhearing snatches of conversation or smelling a pine tree in the rain. It’s as if movement and the external stimuli bring up dormant memories.’ Beth agrees, adding: ‘Every time you go out into nature, I think she gives back more than you realise – if you give her a chance.’
The mental state people can achieve while walking has been linked to fresh insights. Researchers at Stanford University in the US conducted a walking study and found a link between walking and creative thinking – in fact, participants increased their creative output by 60 per cent during walks and shortly afterwards. This brings the possibility of returning to work with the solution to a problem and the sense of being unstuck. Walking increases what experts call divergent thinking, which is when the mind explores many possible solutions.
Michelle, from London, is a lived-experience advocate with children’s charity the NSPCC. She found walking helped to lower her stress levels as a teenager and says a daily stroll is a non-negotiable part of her self-care as it helps her to clarify thoughts and find perspective. She adds that she often journals on her return home: ‘Once I’m thinking clearly out on a walk, that’s when new ideas come, or I can solidify existing ideas and put my thoughts in order. Walking makes me feel more confident, too, which gives me the confidence that my ideas are good ones. I can better articulate how I feel after I’ve been out for a walk.’
So, the next time you find yourself stuck for inspiration, remember it’s a great reason to down tools and enjoy one of life’s simple and free pleasures – a short walk.
For more about Annabel, go to annabelabbs.com, and explore Beth’s work at wildirelandwalks.com
Be INSPIRED
- Leave your headphones at home. Walking to music or a podcast is often wonderful, but if you want to think creatively, it’s useful to let the mind wander and take in the surroundings.
- Take your phone, but ignore it. Have your phone for emergencies only. Otherwise, put it on silent or switch it to flight mode, so you’re not distracted by notifications.
- Mix it up. Try walking at different times of day or night. Notice how your surroundings change depending on the light. Stay safe, though – night-time strolls are best done in pairs.
- Wrap up. Remember that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing. Raining outside? Don waterproofs, wellies and go for it.
- Cast your eyes to the sky. Remember the cathedral effect – notice cloud formations, appreciate a blue-sky day, bathe your face in moonlight or count the stars.
- Jot in your journal. You could take a pen and paper or create voice notes if inspiration strikes. Ideas might also start to flow if you journal or brainstorm on your return.