When you need a distraction from it all
Do you ever feel like the world is a heavy place and all of that weight is on your shoulders?! Yeah, me neither. 🙃 Since none of us feel that way, maybe this is a moot point, but… if you (or someone you know) ever finds themselves feeling that way, read on. A lesser talked about benefit of walking is the fact that it’s a distraction from emotional pain. Whether you’re feeling the need to distract yourself from current world events or personal stressors, walking is an effective strategy.
Often when I talk with clients about distraction as a coping skill, I get a sort-of puzzled look in response. Like, “wait a minute… isn’t avoiding my problems a big part of what landed me in therapy in the first place?!” Here’s the catch—there’s a big difference between distracting and avoiding. The differentiation comes in the length of time taken away from the stressor. A healthy distraction can look like—catching yourself scrolling on your phone for an embarrassingly long time and realizing you feel like shit afterward, and instead making the choice to lace up your sneaks and hit the pavement for a brisk walk to release your pent up stress and energy. Avoidance might look like continually scrolling on your phone when your partner lets you know there’s something important they’d like to talk with you about and you know it’s a topic that’s going to cause discomfort. A healthy distraction in this example might be to go for a short walk before having the convo to reset your nervous system, or better yet… have that tough convo ON your walk and co-regulate with your partner (see last week’s topic on Physiological Synchrony).
Distraction is an awesome way to get some temporary relief from uncomfortable feelings, stress, and overwhelm and walking is an easy way to distract yourself, re-regulate, and face the (necessary) stressors that require your attention when you’re feeling more grounded.
Feeling the itch to get moving? Kari has room for a few more Walk + Talk clients on her caseload and would love to offer you (or someone you know) a free, 15-min vibe-check to learn more!
E-mail kari@wisewomxnwellness.com for more info.