We’re not talking citrus fruits and supplements… our ‘C’ of this Vitamin ‘C’ is for Creativity. Releasing your inner creative is a great way to improve wellbeing, reduce stress and anxiety, bring a sense of calm, develop positive emotions and even improve the functioning of your immune system.
We are all creative and creativity is an important element of human life. You don’t have to be an artist, musician, dancer, writer or inventor to be creative, though obviously those are great ways to showcase your creative skills.
Creativity simply means acting in new and thoughtful ways. So, we are going to unlock some creativity.
‘Why?’ you may ask….
Because creativity helps with our productivity, boosts our confidence and helps us perform to the best of our ability and when we’re doing all those things, we are getting emotionally fitter and creating our own happiness.
So often we deal with our problems and difficulties in our personal and professional lives in the same ways, using the same methods and procedures. It’s so easy to get in habitual thought patterns when we base new ideas on what has or hasn’t worked for us in the past. This means it can be hard to think ‘outside of the box’ and sticking to our ‘usual way’ of doing things can limit our creativity and options and ultimately our happiness, satisfaction and success.
Creative thinking can help us take these old, fixed ways of doing things and instead create new, exciting and meaningful new ideas and methods of doing things for a more positive outcome.
So, let’s take a ‘beginner’s mindset’ – this is when, instead of thinking about what hasn’t worked before or what might not work in the future, we approach tasks with an open mind. We ask ourselves what we would or could do if we didn’t have any constraints in terms of money, time, resources or people involved.
Read our three suggestions for ways to get more Vitamin ‘C’ and get your creative on!
Get Cooking
Not only is food vital for our survival and we can feed our mind and body with nutritious ingredients for a healthier lifestyle, the act of cooking, if done mindfully, allows us to both be creative and calm. Cooking is a form of meditation for many as it provides an opportunity for us to be aware, focussed and ‘in the moment’ as opposed to be distracted, stressed and overwhelmed.
Do Nothing
Yep! You heard it right… do absolutely nothing. Our world demands too much of us and we have so much information to process, whether it be personal, professional or current affairs. So build in some time to do absolutely nothing. Just sit and let the world go by, without TV, podcasts, phones or stimulation of any sort and you will find that giving your brain some actual time-off will help boost your creative juices, help you come up with new ideas and assist you in finding ways out of situations that feel impossible.
Be Musical
The connection between playing a musical instrument and creative thinking has been well documented, with many famous people having a musical hobby. The combination of the musical instrument and the coordination of the body and mind really nurture the creative side of our brains. Whether it’s singing in the shower or taking up tuba, get some musical activity in your life.
So, what will you get creative with?
Much love,
Tabby x
The Perform Strategy 