Last Call

Standing for Inspiration

For no meaningful reason I found myself standing.

Sure, it could have been because I was enraptured by the straining seconds of a hockey game, but did I unconsciously leave the couch during the final tense moments?

I couldn’t recall when I stood, but there I was pacing, a few feet from the screen, eyes focused on the action.

Pacing. Pacing.

And suddenly a flurry of thoughts came into focus: The perfect birthday gift for a relative. An idea for a vacation spot. A catchy headline.

A sentence for this column.

After a middling few days of frustration, searching for ideas that remained elusive, the revelations rushed into my mind.

I continued to stand and then walked the hallway, returning to catch the waning moments of the thrilling contest.

The thoughts of what to do next continued to come into focus.

It’s no coincidence that the act of standing helped spur my thoughts. Studies have shown that standing can stimulate our minds and improve cognitive function.

A study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found students who used standing desks saw significant improvements in “executive function and working memory capabilities.”

Standing is just a part of the stimulation. Walking increases blood flow to the brain and a study published in the scientific journal NeuroImage showed walking can improve memory.

And when a popular psychology test — Stroop Task — was performed by participants who sat or stood, it found those in a group who stood responded faster than those who sat. Sitting is my default position for most of the workday. I don’t own a standing desk, but often when the words won’t materialize and the blank screen taunts me, I’ll stand to gather a new perspective. It’s funny how quickly the right phrase or improved idea will emerge. A few years ago, on a tight deadline, I was struggling to write a story about an event that had captivated the community. The story had to be good. I knew there was going to be an audience for what I published, a readership that I

IT’S FUNNY respected and appreciated. I was teeming with energy, excited HOW QUICKLY to report on what had just happened. And yet. Nothing. No words. No engrossing

THE RIGHT sentences. No fresh perspective. Panic didn’t instantly set in (it PHRASE WILL certainly hovered) but I dreaded typing dull words that wouldn’t fully capture the moment.

EMERGE. The clock ticked. The screen remained blank. I stood. The eureka moment wasn’t instantaneous, but after a few minutes of standing and walking around the room, the words became clearer, and the proper voice needed for that story burst through. I had the words. A rush of adrenaline propelled me back to my computer. The story was ready to be properly written. Sitting is comfortable. Being at a desk with a warm drink on the side is soothing. The day can casually glide by in a quiet drone. But when a spark of inspiration is needed, when that exceptional idea is just beyond our grasp, often the best action is to take a stand.