2. Talking to people is easier

Injecting yourself into a scene isn’t easy, even when nothing is expected of you. I used to find myself feeling unstable in unfamiliar situations, whether it’s a meeting at work with new colleagues or waiting in line at a café I’ve never been to. Maybe it’s exposure therapy, but walking through many different environments in one go has been therapeutic for me, with the unexpected perk of speaking to strangers and friends with more ease. I’ve found my insight to be more thoughtful and my observations brought to conversations more vivid.

3. I’m a calmer person

I’ve never been one to get worked up, at least publicly. When I’m upset, I’ll often push it to the very edges of my brain and body until I find a moment of complete solitude. Since I’ve started wandering more, I find myself having less to deal with in my quiet moments. I’ll dig through the topics I have to work though, spending little to no time “working though” the things I’ve been avoiding. That bank is empty, or at least much closer to it. While I would probably have to speak with a professional to define what this is, I attribute it to feeling more stable in my physical place in the world.

Erika Owen on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City Laura Delarato

4. Life’s annoying moments are less … annoying

I can’t tell you how many times a day I find myself faced with some sort of physical obstacle. It could be sidewalk construction blocking my usual route to work or my train breaking down mid-tunnel when I’m late for a meeting. Giving myself another option like taking a different street or getting off the train and walking has made me more accepting of change. This paired with seeing how others are moving about the world — hearing tidbits of tough phone conversations, a stranger helping a kid that just fell from a swingset, a cyclist barely avoiding a collision with an inattentive driver — helps me realize that there are plenty of unexpected hurdles that I could be dealing with. I’ll call this a much-needed dose of perspective.

5. I feel more connected to my body

This may be the easiest change to relate with. After walking the three miles to work, I’m sore. An afternoon spent walking through a park makes me want to spend an afternoon with my feet up. I could easily count this as a negative aspect to flaneuring, but these are reminders that I did something with my physical body. Flaneuring can be such a mental activity, it’s easy to forget that your hips, quads, knees, calves, heels, arches, and toes all play a very important role in getting you around. I know what walking six miles feels like to my left knee, the one that still aches from a high school gym class injury. I know how my lower back feels after taking a break to lay in the grass in Prospect Park. I know which shoes make my feet sing and which ones make them sigh in discomfort. You may spend most of your time flaneuring to clear your head — I certainly do — but your body’s work cannot be understated.

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