Walking Around… first blog post!

Hi everyone! Welcome to my very first post for Walking Around!

I am excited to be starting my blog finally. I have been thinking about doing this for quite some time now, and now is the right time.

About me

I am 37 years old and an introvert. Ever since I can remember, I have always been a timid individual. I grew up in a very strict household. My dad refused to allow me to enjoy extracurriculars. I was always at home with my parents or family. My mom told me in high school that my boyfriends were my subjects. It was rare that I would go out with friends or have sleepovers. There were no sleepovers and at least one outing with friends. Not only was I a hermit by my parent’s design, but it was also due to an event during my junior year in high school. I did not know then as I do now, but she vowed not to allow me to be in the same situation as her. Looking back now that she has passed on, I am hearing the why and am genuinely grateful for how she raised me. I am thankful she chose to be strict; it has allowed me to be where I am now. 

It is this timid nature that I decided to tackle and get out of my comfort zone. How can one truly change their personality? How can anyone change their demeanor from introvert to extrovert? Is it even possible? I did as I always did before, researching how to become an extrovert. The first method I came across was affiliated marketing. There are many videos on social media nowadays about affiliated marketing. But for a timid individual like myself, I felt this was way too daunting to jump into. Let alone; I was so full of skepticism. I continued my research and came across blogging. Blogging seemed a very intimate yet straightforward starting point for my journey to becoming an extrovert. So here I am!

Once I decided to start blogging, the hard part was choosing a niche or topic to blog about. I am not into interior design, fashion, or teaching. So those were out. I then asked myself, why am I writing a blog? Why was I writing the blog? Then it hit me, self-improvement and tackling the chaos life has thrown me. Nobody is immune to life’s curveballs, so my stories and blog posts could help someone going through that now. That was where “Walking Around the Blog” came into being—walking around life’s chaos and curveballs to a better you.  

How my self-improvement journey started

How can I know about life’s chaos and curveballs? How can I know suffering? Let me tell you, my journey to self-improvement was long coming. I was abused by those who were supposed to be taking care of me, and before you ask, no, it was not at the hand of my parents. I have never made this truly public; just a few know this trauma until now—abuse always leads one to look inwards for blame. Abuse plus a tough childhood led me to become a timid child and later a timid adult. I am not here to blame myself or others for what happened in the past. I am here to grow and change. I feel as though these events led me to where I am now. A timid adult with a limited pallet who does not know how to let go and live. 

With this in mind, I hit the heaviest weight right when COVID-19 started. When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, life as we knew it changed drastically. The world as we knew it stopped. COVID soon forced everyone to work from home. Only essential personnel were allowed to work. During this time, I was plagued with horrible intestinal cramps and intestinal spasms and weighed my heaviest. It was then that I began the journey of self-improvement. First, I started with a small goal: get out and walk more. I started just walking around my local parks and walking trails. I then progressed to going on hikes at the nearby Texas State Parks. As my walking increased, I soon then increased my goals. Now, I walk at least one to two miles every weekday and three miles each weekend.

Walking turned into a habit.

Walking is usually taken for granted because it is simplistic and something we do daily. Incorporating walking into my everyday routine allowed me to go from hermit to explorer. The more I walked, the more it turned into a habit. I know I did. Walking became a time for me to reflect, reminisce, gain peace, become self-aware, and grow. I was able to reconnect with myself and others. I began to explore new areas and do new activities simply by walking. Walking became an outlet for me to become more appreciative of my body and who I am. There are many benefits to walking around. These are just a few of those that I have experienced.

In a future post, we will dive deeper into the help I have experienced and the other benefits you can experience simply by walking. 

Walking Around

Walking Around is not meant to be a fitness blog. A blog where we can demonstrate it is possible to be fit physically and emotionally simply by walking. Walking Around the blog was created to be a self-improvement blog. It has allowed me to get out of my shell, document my adventures, and find new joys in life. A life that has been full of curveballs and adventures that who’d thought I would have done or been through. It’s in these moments where it is true; we will find ourselves in the happy and sad times. I hope these blog posts help you find your independence and happiness too! 

I aim to grow this blog into something that can help myself and others heal and grow. Future posts will contain information about self-improvement, walking, and life. Feel free to comment below with any topics you would love to see.  

Why not jump right in and get? Let’s start Walking Around the Blog!