I recently shared a review essay of Natalie Goldberg’s The True Secret of Writing on Simon & Schuster’s “Off the Shelf” blog. While I haven’t adapted the exact discipline Goldberg outlines in her book, lately I’ve been walking more with the hope of letting my mind do what it needs to do: rest, recuperate, and reward.

Rest—

Earlier this week, I had one of those days. You know the one: The kind of day where the to-do list seems to take complete control over your well-being on account of its gargantuan demands. I have so many delightful projects on the go, but every now and then the “right now” element of when something needs to wrap up can weigh on me. Especially when there are several “right now” tasks all competing for the same time. On this particular day, I wanted to scream. I wanted to curse (I may have caved into this one, actually). I wanted to pack my bags (despite having just returned from a trip that was really, truly relaxing). Then it hit me: I needed a walk. I needed the fresh air and the space and time to clear my head, to let my mind rest and…

Recuperate—

We’re busy. We’re all busy and that state of mind is just so overrated. You’re probably as sick as I am about the “busy epidemic” that takes up far too many conversations. We all have the same amount of hours in a day, but it’s what we do with those hours that make or break our well-being. It’s necessary to give our creative minds a little space to zone out, to enjoy some oxygen, to change up the pace. Vacation not on your immediate calendar of events? Take a walk. Even a five or ten minute jaunt up and down your street can recharge your body, refuel the brain, and offer a…

Reward—

A funny thing happened when I took that walk to relieve some stress the other day. As I moseyed down the block and gave myself a chance to distress from the to-do list, a few things came to mind, including a shiny new idea. When not forcing myself to produce! produce! produce! in a heated time crunch, my brain actually enjoys coming up with new ideas, or at least new ways to tackle an existing project. If I hadn’t taken a break from my desk, who knows if I would have come up with the sparkly little seed of an idea I did. Maybe. Maybe not.  But I do believe when we give ourselves a moment of peace, a few minutes to renew, our brains reward us.

So give yourself a break. Take a walk. If you’re really up for a creative walking challenge, take a look at Goldberg’s book. It’s a secret worth sharing.