Rosario Monachino
‘Silent walking’ is the latest viral trend that is taking Gen Z by storm.
People born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s are known as Generation Z and occasionally, they view themselves as influential people in modern society.
Some of their suggestions include cancelling skinny jeans and losing their mind over the ‘bed rotting’ trend.
But now there is something else that is taking Zoomers by storm.
In a TikTok video shared by Mady Maio – who is the co-host of the Okay Sis podcast – she claims to have ‘unintentionally started a movement’ that she promises will ‘change your life’.
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This trend is known as ‘silent walking’. What is this you might ask? Well, let me explain.
It is actually something everyone pretty much did before technology became a significant part of our day-to-day life.
Essentially, it involves going on a walk without a phone, or without listening to music, podcasts, or having any sort of technological distraction.
In the video, which has racked up just under 500,000 views, Maio says: “No AirPods, no podcasts, no music. Just me, myself, and I.
“And at first I was like f*** no, my anxiety could never – which is probably what you’re thinking – but something within me was like let me just try it.”
The podcaster says while the first two minutes of her walk were ‘mayhem’, she soon embarked on a ‘flow state’ and you can ‘suddenly hear yourself’.
Maio explains to her followers that ‘silent walking’ has given her the ‘clarity’ she had always been looking for.
“Look, the universe and your intuition comes to you through whispers, so if you’re never alone with your thoughts and you never get quiet you’re gonna miss the whispers,” she continues.
“And those whispers are the most important to be paying attention to… suddenly all these ideas are flowing into me because I’m giving them space to enter.
“Look, if I can do it, you can do it. I promise, just try it out… Give yourself the gift of getting quiet and listening to those whispers.”
@madymaio #stitch with @KENZIEELIZABETH WE’RE SILENT WALKING ALL SUMMER, BABE 🚶 #walkinggirls #girlswhowalk #meditativewalk #intentionalwalk ♬ original sound – Mady Maio
While Maio may have been the one to make ‘silent walking’ a viral trend, she wasn’t the one who came up with the term – as this was reportedly established by New York City influencer Arielle Lorre back in January.
She too has spoken about the benefits of silent walks – saying that she feels all her senses instantly go to high alert.
Lorre explained: “I smell everything, I hear everything, I am seeing everything, and it’s so grounding for me,” she said.
“I know the hot girl walk had its moment. I’m trying to make the silent walk girl, or guy, or whatever, a thing.”
The reaction to this new trend has been mixed on social media, with some people sharing their experiences with ‘silent walking’.
@dearmedia Who’s gonna start silent walking 🙋♀️ #silentwalk #hotgirlwalk #healthandwellness #naturewalk #theblondefiles #drwillcole #podcastclips ♬ original sound – Dear Media
One person writes: “I’ve been doing this for two months daily. And it’s GAME CHANGING.”
Another viewer shares: “I tried this! All my brain could think about was the last TikTok I saw. I had ‘white people taco night’ song stuck in my head for an hour.”
“I love silent walking!! Great for manifesting,” adds a third.
However, others have mocked the video as Maio has seemingly claimed that walking without technology is this revolutionary, therapeutic technique.
One person says: “Is this real? This is just walking… like how people did it before technology.”
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“Gen Z just discovered walking y’all” writes another person – accompanied with laughing emojis.
Someone else pens: “So just going for a walk like we all did in the 90s???”
While people are enjoying themselves and making fun of this new trend, it does highlight how dependent we all are on technology – to the point where some people think going on a 30-minute walk without any devices is ‘game-changing’.
Numerous studies have shown that spending time online can have a drastic impact on your mental wellbeing.
According to Science Daily, an over-reliance on your device can lead to lazy thinking and can significantly reduce our cognitive thinking – the mental process that we go through to understand information and turn it into knowledge, as per James Cook University.
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