The Processing Walk
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The inspiration for my blog topics always comes from one of two sources: what I’ve worked on or what I’m currently working on, or what my clients bring up in our coaching sessions.
As I was taking another of my solo processing walks, I thought about writing about this topic because it’s my favorite and most effective processing practice.
What is processing?
I call “processing” the action of allowing thoughts and feeling to come to my awareness, and digesting and releasing them. To me, it’s a free-flowing activity that does not have to adhere to any specific structure beside the need to actually allow it to happen. Basically, my only requirement is giving myself some unstructured time on a daily basis when my mind and heart can wander where they want to, so that unconscious and conscious thoughts and feelings can be explored and digested.
Daily processing is absolutely essential. One of the most common symptoms of a lack of processing is trouble falling asleep because of a racing mind. If your bedtime is the first time in the day when you actually stop all activities including mindless distractions, your mind will start processing at that time. It’s totally normal and intelligent - processing is that essential and it needs the absence of distractions to occur. The problem with bedtime processing is that you’re now tired and need to get your 8 hours of sleep, so it can feel frustrating to find yourself with a racing mind and perhaps also emotions bubbling up just when you need to fall asleep.
If this is a regular occurrence, know that there is an easy solution: give your mind and heart open windows of time throughout the day with no distractions to process, digest, and release what has been impactful for you throughout the day.
The Processing Walk
For me, doing this processing while walking around my neighborhood or on a hiking trail is really effective because it allows the release of my pent up somatic energy at the same time. A processing walk is a walk when I let my mind completely wander. I might reminisce about earlier events, think about what happened, feel into the emotions I might not have fully noticed or released yet, and I might perhaps even have imaginary conversations!
It’s actually not about being present in the moment, and it’s not about practicing mindfulness. That’s another kind of practice that I wrote about here. A processing activity is truly a free-flowing experience - everything is ok, no discipline is required. I might take a processing walk and barely notice what is going on around me - well unless I cross a road or risk bumping into someone of course : )
As I wrote a while ago, we also need a daily mindfulness practice to develop our inner observer and hone our capacity for presence. But because too much mindfulness can prevent the processing of our feelings, we need to balance out our disciplined presence practice with a practice that allows us to release thoughts and feelings in an unstructured manner.
What are other effective processing practices?
Up to you to explore and see what works for you.
Personally, my second preferred processing practice is doing jigsaw puzzles! If I’m too tired for a walk, if it’s too late, etc, I will work for a while on a puzzle while allowing my mind to wander. I usually have a cool puzzle laying around on a puzzle board that I can easily move around.
Other common processing practices are journaling, coloring, and crafting. What are your favorite processing practices? If you don’t have one yet, what sounds good to you to try out? And most importantly, how will you make time for regular processing sessions on a daily basis?
