How does going to a gallery or getting out your finger-paints affect your DNA? Admittedly, it sounds more like science fiction than science fact, but none the less, the observed changes are measurable and real. And while the mechanisms at play are not yet fully understood, the research points in a clear direction.

If you are reading this while also keeping an eye on your email, half-listening to something in the background, and mentally composing a response to a message you received an hour ago, you might be doing something that feels extremely familiar. You might call it multitasking, and you may very well take a certain pride in it. Unfortunately…

Research in psychology has consistently demonstrated that the quality of our relationship with ourselves—the tone of our internal dialogue, the degree to which we extend ourselves care and compassion—is one of the most significant predictors of our overall mental and emotional wellbeing—not our accomplishments nor our circumstances. The relationship we have with the person we are when no one else is watching is of defining importance to our own wellbeing.

In the modern mental health and wellness space, we constantly hear or say things like, “We really need to process this,” or “I just haven’t had the time to process that.” The phrase is everywhere. It has become a staple of our cultural lexicon. But have you ever stopped to think about exactly how best to process something? Essentially, have you ever processed how to process?