Walking can be a ritualistic expression of childish play that one can do after a gruelling work session. This is the kind of walk that I usually take.
One can walk to process a problem, but to walk as a relieving stroll means to totally stop one’s thread of thought and to totally free one’s mind.
A stroll is done without any clear reason. While strolling, one looks at one thing and another as if playing. There is no true intention. And this is what sets it apart and makes it potent. It allows the rediscovery of lightness and freedom.
Check out Karl Gottlob Schelle’s advise for strolling
References
Gros, F. (2014). A Philosophy of Walking. Verso.
An outing is not the same thing as a brisk trot around the block, which is really just another way of developing the obsession with some idea or the thread of a meditation.
Going out for a walk is another matter: you say goodbye to your work. You close the books and files, and you go out. Once outside, the body moves at its own rhythm and the mind feels free, in other words, available.