Health as a walk

Small, persistent, uncomfortable, transformational steps

---

This is the last of the introductory entries. To review, we’ve been discussing the following elements of health that I want to emphasize in the content of this Substack:

1. The interconnectedness of health

   https://daniellejoyce1.substack.com/p/the-interconnectedness-of-health

2. A light focused perspective

   https://daniellejoyce1.substack.com/p/a-light-focused-perspective

3. Health as a walk

Photo by Sies Kranen on Unsplash

What do we mean by using the word walk? Let’s examine aspects of walking and how they relate to our health and well-being.

Walking uses slow, small steps

Let’s admit it, walking is unimpressive. In modern-day life, we’ve figured out ways to bypass this mode of getting from here to there: bikes, cars, planes, and even though it doesn’t exist yet, I know we’d all appreciate teleportation. We’re in a hurry and impatient. We want to get to our destination now! Who has time for walking?

I’m convinced that in our lives and health, we must slow down and resume these fundamental, small steps. Each step does not get us very far. But it’s the accumulation of these steps over time that takes us places, building strength and endurance along the way.

Walking is a continual process

Lasting transformation requires these persistent small steps. The names say it all: spiritual disciplines, healthy practices, Christian walk, lifestyle choices. They all imply intentional direction, then repetition to progress. They’re not one-offs. What happens when we stop walking (not a trick question)? We stop progressing.

Walking uses muscles

Whenever we change our gait pattern, pace, or distance, our muscles require practice or training to adjust. The same goes for starting a new healthy habit, lifestyle, or spiritual discipline. Things get harder before they get easier. The muscles must endure strain before they rebuild and settle into the new routine.

Discomfort is often a good and necessary byproduct of growth. However, we must use wisdom and balance in implementing these positive steps. While staying in our comfort zones and avoiding new practices in our lives will limit growth, we must also avoid jumping in too quickly, trying to lift more than we’re ready for, and burning out, or worse, injuring ourselves.

Walking is individualized

We each have different capacities for different loads at different times in our lives. Borrowing a term from functional medicine, this gets to the idea that in life and health, N=1. In science, N is the number of participants in a study. N=1 implies that each individual is unique. We can take advice and learn from others, but ultimately, we must develop our own routines.

Walking through social anxiety

In college, my natural introversion and sudden change in environment led to social anxiety. I navigated through my classes and church activities with the minimal amount of speaking possible.

I hated classes with “participation” points, and closing prayer time in small groups was torture. While everyone else was enjoying “popcorn prayer,” where we’d alternate popping/speaking up and praying for each person, I was secretly sweating and treating it more as “hot potato.”

I lamented my difficulty verbally expressing myself and connecting with others. And I desperately asked God for mental clarity, articulation, and confidence in social settings. I wanted a sudden transformation. Instead, God gave me a clear vision to continue pursuing healthy forms of social connection and the perseverance to keep showing up.

Most times, my growth was imperceptible. I recall leaving small fellowship meetings almost in tears, wondering why, after months with the same trustworthy women, I couldn’t find my voice. But then I would return the next week, and the week after that. After a couple of years, there was some incremental growth. A few more years later, even more noticeable changes.

Fast forward to today, and the struggling woman twenty years ago is nearly unrecognizable. Twice, due to my husband’s military work, we have moved cross-country to cities without any local contacts. I have been able to confidently jump in and build a community around myself and my family in ways that I never would have imagined before.

Comparison is the thief of joy

Let’s return now to the individualized nature of walking. We all have different pasts, personalities, genetics, and circumstances. Let’s be loving and open-minded with ourselves and others, putting aside comparisons or judgments.

There is no place for shame or blame in the healing process. There were moments where I compared myself to others and thought, “Why can’t I be more like that?” Or felt ashamed that the process was taking so long. Or blamed my personality and a society that rewards gregariousness. These thoughts not only robbed my joy but were counterproductive to my growth.

Over the years, I’ve metamorphosed from a quiet caterpillar to a comfortable butterfly. Social butterfly or life-of-the-party, I am not. I still fumble over words, get bored with small talk, hate charades, and bungle social hugs. But I’m confident fluttering around social settings, at ease with my intermittent awkwardness, and thrilled with how far I’ve come. N=1.

Beware the rollercoaster of worth

As we walk along the path towards healthy and faithful living, we must also be careful not to tether ourselves to the highs and lows, setbacks, or breakthroughs that we will inevitably encounter. Our inherent worth is not tied to any health metric or virtue.

We must stay firmly rooted in our identity in Christ. As we walk in step with God, He will provide the encouragement we need in the valleys, the humility we need on the mountaintops, and the perspective we need along the way.

And finally…

Walking is simple. Yet also so incredibly hard. But, it is in the walking—the starting, stumbling, stopping, resuming, redirecting—that we are transformed. When we learn to nurture the seeds of steadfastness in our own lives, we will bear good fruit.

---

Please share your thoughts in the comments below. I’d love to hear stories of gradual transformation in your lives based on small, persistent steps.

---