Walk 5: I Walk In Your Name

Walk for Physical and Mental Health and Wellbeing

University of Arizona Campus Walk

For this week's walk, I asked my best friend what I should walk for. This friend is someone who I became incredibly close to during my undergrad at the U of A. She now lives in New York and is a nurse/nutritionist. As a nurse & nutritionist, she is passionate and a huge advocate for both mental and physical health. When I asked her what kind of walk she believed I should go on, she didn’t hesitate to mention this. 

Since she spent the majority of her time in Tucson on the U of A campus, she told me to go and take a walk on campus, which is a place full of memories for both of us. Her main request was to visit spaces that remind me of her but also to walk with intention. Not just to move, but to heal. To breathe. To notice. To watch. To think. To slow down.

This type of walk came up for many reasons. My best friend has always believed that movement can be a form of medicine, not just for the body but also for the mind and spirit. She knows how stressed I’ve been over the last few semesters, especially as a new master’s student trying to balance work, school, and life. She understands, especially for me, how easy it is to forget to take care of ourselves when we're always in motion. For her, walking with intention is a way to reconnect with yourself and the world around you. By asking me to walk through a place filled with our shared memories, she was inviting me into a space of reflection and calm. It was her way of reminding me that healing doesn’t always need big changes or an expensive doctor to fix. Sometimes, it’s just about slowing down in familiar places and letting them remind you of who you are and how far you’ve come.

With this in mind, she gave me some guidelines for my walk to really focus on health and well-being during my walk:

1. Connect with nature both physically and mentally. Spot nature, touch it, and smell the flowers. 

2. Stop somewhere and do 5 minutes of deep, mindful breathing.

3. Incorporate at least 2 minutes of fast-paced walking and 2 minutes of slow walking.

4. Watch, think, and connect to people.

5. Do something you love. 

These tasks are things she typically likes to do during her walks and during moments she has a second. So, with those goals in mind, I started my walk into campus. I started near the main entrance of campus, near University Boulevard. With each step, I tried to stay aware of my body: how it moved, how the ground felt beneath my shoes, and how my shoulders naturally tensed and relaxed.

I pivoted and found a bench to sit at for a few minutes while I reviewed my tasks and made a plan for my walk. I decided to let my photos take the lead of my walk, eyeing anything bright, colorful, or nature based.

I found myself at Old main where I sat under the shade of the palm tree. I sat quietly, observing those around me. For it being 9:30 a.m., there were quite a few people here. I believe there's some sort of youth group going on here on campus. It was nice to get lost in the sounds. The slight chirping of the birds, the water splashing, and the loud buzzing bees whizzing by my face. Of course there was a hum of a hvac system, but I could barely hear it over the splash of the water. 

Kiara Imblum · Water Fountain

As I looked around in this space, I found flowers. In the sun they were so vibrant, which brought a smile to my face. It was nice to actually see the things around me. As I observed others who were walking around me, I realized how they were so focused on other things, like their phones and talking to each other. It made me realize how much we miss when we don't slow down for a minute to take in what's around us. 

Above are the photos I captured as I made my way onto campus as I focused my attention to the nature around me. I passed by a few spaces that reminded me of my best friend, like the spot where we took our senior photos and the balcony where we used to sit and watch Netflix movies. I found myself walking past the road that led to her old dorm, which brought back a flood of memories, like when we made our Halloween shirts in the dorm bathroom and accidentally stained one with red dye, or all the times I said goodbye and hello as I dropped her off or picked her up.

It was the memories of her that made me remember one of the things she asked me to do on this walk: to get my heart rate up. So I picked up the pace and walked briskly for two full minutes. My heart began to race, sweat started to bead on my skin, and the 95-degree heat hit me hard. Still, there was something energizing about it. Moving fast reminded me of how good it feels to be alive. To be both healthy and capable.

She also encouraged me to think of others as I walked, especially those who can’t move like this. So as I passed people, I silently wished them well. I made sure to smile and greet them, as a small interaction like that feeds into that form of connection. Each face became a quiet moment of connection, a reminder to walk not just for myself, but in honor of those who carry different burdens.

Since my friend and I went to college while I was still getting my degree in Education, I decided to visit the education building since it was a hangout spot for us. This building holds quite a bit of nostalgia. I chose to lie in the quiet of the space for 5 minutes and breathe. As I did this, i paid attention to how I was feeling and what i was seeing. The tree above me looked so beautiful as its tall trunk stretched upwards and branches swayed with the slight wind. I pressed my hands into the ground, physically connecting myself. It felt almost as if the earth was feeding me calm, presence, and connection, things I had forgotten I needed.

Kiara Imblum · Bells

 

After my 5-minute session, I started my departure back to my car, taking care to look at the world around me. I captured this cute photo of some squirrels munching on some beans. 

Kiara Imblum · Cicadas and Birds

My friend emphasized finding little things to find joy in while I walked. Since I've been obsessed with shadows lately, I played with it. Jumping around, dancing with it, making it move. 

Before getting into my car, I decided to stop by Cafe Luce to grab a cup of coffee. There were several people in the coffee shop, some having conversations with each other and others doing things on their laptops. I had a small conversation with the barista about their day and how they were doing. Sometimes small interactions like this can make all the difference in someone's day. 

 I had some sticky notes and a micron pen to do some sketching. Mindless sketching is something that helps me when I feel overwhelmed, especially when it comes to school stuff. I left these behind, almost as little memorabilia from today's walk. I hope they bring someone joy when they find them. 

What I Gained From This:

This walk wasn’t just about moving my feet. It had a purpose. It was meant to ground me and help me notice the struggles we face today. It asked for my full attention. In a world filled with cellphones, social media, and constant distractions, that felt rare.

Would my walk stop others and make them think? I hope so. I didn’t carry a sign or speak out loud, but I did try to walk with purpose. Sometimes quiet action can be just as powerful. Maybe someone noticed me pausing to breathe deeply or slowing down to look at the flowers and felt encouraged to do the same. Maybe someone saw me lying in the grass and felt that longing of wanting to slow down and do the same later on in their walk. Although they did not know exactly what I was walking for, I hope my actions can help lead by example. 

 As a part of an extension to this walk, something I wanted to do was create a shirt supporting mental health. Due to time constraints, I could not get it made quickly enough (although I might finish it soon). I think this would have made my walk a little more powerful, as people would view the message and correlate it to my actions. Maybe I'll have to do this again to see if it would go any differently. 

By being active and mindfully engaging with the world, it reminded me that I don’t need to earn rest, that breath is a form of resistance, and that moving my body with care is honoring my mind. I would absolutely do it again. Although this is a cause that my friend mentioned to me to do, I absolutely believe in focusing on mental and physical health and well-being. Grounding yourself to the world we live in is an important part of fostering a healthy mindset.