One thing I’ve loved about traveling around the country in a truck top camper is that I’ve been able to make space for my own growth and healing.
It’s not always easy to run through heavy emotions in a super public office or home with roommates and coworkers. Delayed emotional processing happens when we don’t give ourselves this kind of space.
The Gift of Uninterrupted Attention
This lifestyle has given me the opportunity to get back out in nature and focus on what’s important.
For my clients, that means their projects have my uninterrupted attention, as I’m able to zone in on what I’m working on without distraction.
For myself, it means that I’m really able to feel into the energies and emotions which are presenting themselves to be seen in my life right now.
There’s something about being surrounded by trees and sky instead of walls and screens. The nervous system settles differently. The permission to feel arrives more easily.
When the Pressure Finally Releases
The tightness in the chest and pressure on the head that had been there for so long comes forward with a new intensity, but presents itself to be felt and finally released.
By giving myself the time and space for emotional processing, I’m able to go deeper into the feelings which are there instead of having to push them away to keep up appearances.
This is what most people never get to experience. The full wave of emotion moving through without interruption. Without someone needing something from you. Without the obligation to compose yourself quickly.
When emotions have space to complete their cycle, they don’t get stuck. They move through and out. The energy that was bound up in holding them back becomes available again.
What Comes After the Release
The result of processing this deeply is greater clarity, feelings of intense love and appreciation, and a new creative force which I can then bring into my projects.
Creating space for ourselves is so important as more and more of us go through a kind of awakening of the heart. All that mental chatter is pointing to something in our chest which needs to be felt and expressed.
I’ve noticed that my best work comes after these processing sessions. Not despite them. The creativity that was waiting underneath the emotional weight finally has room to breathe.
Learning to Make Controlled Runs
Taking time to really feel into these signals my body, spirit, and soul are sending me have opened up a new level of clarity and ease.
Like a firefighter, I’m not always inside the burning building of my emotional trauma. I go in using controlled runs. And when I’m not doing the processing, I’m making sure that I understand how I’ll approach when I’m in a heated moment.
This approach changes everything. Instead of being overwhelmed by emotions at inconvenient times, I’m choosing when to engage with them. I’m building the container first, then opening the floodgates.
Delayed emotional processing doesn’t have to stay delayed. I’m getting ready to be ready. And that’s a fun place to operate from.
You don’t need a truck camper to do this work. You just need to recognize that your emotions deserve dedicated time and space. That processing them isn’t a luxury. It’s maintenance that keeps everything else running smoothly.
This is shadow work in action.
If you’re ready to process what’s been running your life, explore the Shadow Work practices.