TikTok’s Newest ‘Wellness Trend’ Seems Very Familiar Somehow

I'll be the first to admit that when it comes to what's "new and trendy" especially online, I do my best to either ignore it or run the other way. The reason is that I have yet to find anything beneficial to my life from an internet fad (with the exception of saran-wrapping my artificial Christmas tree--that was a good piece of advice!)

But when I came across a video this week, explaining the newest "wellness trend" taking TikTok by storm, I could neither ignore nor run away, mostly because I was in a state of shock. And here's why...

If you haven't heard of it, let me introduce you to "Silent Walking"...which is exactly what it sounds like—walking, without distractions.

The thought behind it is to take time to take in the world around you without being connected to a podcast, soundtrack, or video.

Or as those of us who grew up before a time where every moment had to be captured and shared online when dial-up internet was the newest thing, called it: going for a walk.

What's alarming to me about this latest fad, aside from the fact that an entire generation seems to believe/want to rebrand something all of us have been doing for as long as humans have been able to stand upright and put one foot in front of the other, is just how terrifying the idea of going for a walk, unplugged, is for these folks. It seems the concept of being alone with one's thoughts is the stuff of nightmares for some.

But I ask you...

HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO PROCESS YOUR LIFE IF YOU DON'T TAKE THE TIME TO THINK ABOUT THINGS?

For generations, human beings have done some of their best thinking when walking (and in the shower.) When we're able to zone out for a moment, and work through, in our mind, a situation or scenario and find a solution.

Unable to unplug from the distractions of life, and instead relying more and more on those distractions to do the thinking and problem solving for us--or avoiding thought altogether;  this is how we have ended up in a situation where "going for a walk" and "thinking" has become the new "wellness trend!"

It seems I'm not the only one who is flabbergasted by the idea of this concept being "new."

What do you think? Please feel free to sound off about Silent Walking!