Doing something creative and enjoyable is a shortcut to feeling calm, and leaves you uplifted, happy and ‘juiced’. It can be as simple as lying on the grass watching the clouds drift overhead, or taking a different route to work. Or it could be a hobby like learning the drums, growing orchids or making mosaics, or a long-held dream to build a house, take up horse-riding or see the pyramids of Egypt. Think back to activities you’ve enjoyed in the past – sports, crafts, drama – and look for clues.
Creativity is also about what you choose not to do. You may decide to reduce television viewing – or at least only watch programs that inspire you – and in its place choose instead to read, do a jigsaw or learn a language. Take a long, hard look at popular recreational activities that subtract, rather than add, meaning, and that do nothing to restore balance to your life. Drifting around the shopping complex, playing video games and trawling gossip magazines for the latest news on Paris Hilton may seem restful and pleasant, but in fact are just numbing you.
Truly creative activities will nourish, inspire and energise you, and help you to find balance in two ways. First, they’re fun. Remember ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’? No play makes us worse than dull – it makes us dead. Doing without breaks and simple pleasures reduces your ability to fight disease and takes a toll on energy levels.
Secondly, doing something creative helps you to shift your perspective and use your mind. Creative stimulation actually grows new brain connections and strengthens old ones, thus boosting your memory and strengthening your mental capacity to cope with future stress.
Sometimes a change in creative direction can really be as good as a rest, whether it’s a small change such as throwing a party or writing a poem, a medium one such as enrolling for a course of study or taking a fresh look at the way you normally approach an aspect of your work, or a big one such as repainting the house, moving, or going on holiday.
Boredom is a major cause of lack of creative energy, whereas focusing on what you want to achieve – setting goals, checking your progress and generally taking charge of your own life – are great creative energisers. A good tip is to remember that worthwhile goals should involve you in doing something creative and interesting rather than waiting for something to happen to you: being active gives you momentum. The reason that many people find it difficult to give up an energy-draining habit, such as constantly worrying and focusing on their problems, is because all their energies are directed towards not doing something.
Incorporate more play in your day and you’ll be happier, more productive, and have higher self-esteem. A creative activity doesn’t have to be big or challenging, nor do you have to do it perfectly. The trick is to lose yourself in the process, to be completely absorbed in a task, even if it’s for just a short time. Nor do the activities have to be planned; keep things spontaneous, fun and simple.
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