Are you Creative?

 

So, you think you are not creative. You have to be born with creativity, right? When given a blank page and asked to doodle your way to the end, you can feel a panic attack coming on.

Well some of us are born with creativity, yes we are… or at least creativity comes naturally to us.

However, that’s not the kind of creativity I am discussing here. I am talking about the kind that helps us solve problems and refreshes our bodies and minds. The type that explores imagination and creative thinking... The fun kind. And when you are having fun, you are positively impacting your health.

In children, this kind of creativity teaches lifelong skills... how to express themselves, develop self-confidence, communicate with others, value diverse ideas and cultures, problem-solve, and discover things that make them feel happy and fulfilled. 

However, when we grow up and enter the “Real World”; we forget to “stop and smell the roses” and we find ourselves stressed, anxious, and in some cases completely burned out.

How can we keep going in today’s world and not be overcome by stress and anxiety? In two words... Creative Therapy!

Creativity improves mental health

Today’s prescription for stress and anxiety in some, is very often creativity before prescription medication. Why? Extensive research has proven that it mitigates both stress and anxiety and the emotions that accompany PTSD.

The Flow State

According to Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi co-founder of Positive Psychology; the flow state of being “In the Zone” is being so immersed in something creative that you’ve lost all sense of time… Whether it’s writing in your journal, creating postcards out of your recent photographs, or dancing to your favorite songs.

We are mindful and relaxed in this emotional state, allowing us to feel more optimistic and bringing a sense of accomplishment.

Those who experience “flow” reported higher levels of creativity, productivity, and happiness.

How to Enhance Your Creativity

Okay, so you weren’t born an artist. The majority of us weren’t. What we do have are the fundamental, key traits of creativity which are energy, intelligence, and discipline... "A pretty good start, to creative art!"

When we focus on something new, challenging, and fun, we create new neuropathways, increasing connectivity in our brains. What does this increased creativity do? “Increased connectivity, especially in the left prefrontal cortex of the brain,” says Researcher Laurel Healy, “makes us more emotionally resilient, and the release of dopamine brings an enhanced sense of well-being as well as improved motivation.”

Now that’s what I like to hear. So, let's explore this kind of creativity together.

Creativity that Relieves Stress and Anxiety.

In 2024 the range of activities available are so numerous that I am sure you can find something you like to do, yet have never tried; for fear you are not creative enough. The thing to remember when exploring creativity is; that there is no wrong way to do most of the creative activities listed below. So explore with me.

List of Creative Activities

Draw and paint to relieve your stress and depression, and improve your memory and resilience in older years. Actively creating art rather than simply viewing and appreciating it has proven to prevent cognitive decline; the gradual loss of thinking abilities... learning, remembering, and paying attention.

Creative Activities

1) Sketching  2) Fluid Art

3) Painting     4) Doodling

5) Illustrating

Sing or play Music

Music and singing raise Oxytocin levels which affects our ability to trust and socially interact with others.

Granted we are not all singers or musicians; however, we don’t have to be experts to learn and enjoy playing a musical instrument or put a record on and sing along.

Creative Activities

1) Music lessons       2) Join a group of music enthusiasts.
3) Singing lessons   4) Friends get together to play musical instruments.
5) Listen to Music and sing along.

Dance

The art of moving with the music is beginning to create relief in people's lives. Studies have shown that dancing relieves anxiety, improves the quality of life for breast cancer patients, and lowers the risk of dementia for older people.

Some research says that any form of exercise can make a difference. However, the same research established that it wasn’t all physical exercise that made this difference; it was dancing to the music that made the distinction.

Creative Activities

1) Put a record on and dance.

2) Dance lessons

Embroidery Therapy

In my world, I have listened to the stories of people who have embroidered themselves out of depression or they have used embroidered to rehabilitate themselves from physical and psychological injuries.

Embroidery does this by releasing neurotransmitters that promote joy and well-being while reducing stress hormones. It re-establishes neural pathways and improves brain plasticity; silences the part of the brain that generates negative feelings, and encourages mindfulness. And today men as well as women are finding their creativity this way.

Creative Activities

1) Embroidery lessons   2) Knitting

3) Needle painting         4) Crochet

5) Quilting                        6) Freestyle Embroidery

Spend Time in Nature

The study “Creativity in the Wild: Improving Creative Reasoning Through Immersion in Natural Settings" showed how nature affects creativity. Spending time immersed in nature and disconnected from technological devices increased performance on a creativity/problem-solving task by 50%.

This unplugging took with it multi-tasking, attending to sudden events, maintaining task goals, and it gave people time to unwind. Therefore, spending quality time in nature improved their creativity.

So, when you are perplexed by problems that need solving, move away from the computer. It helps to think creatively about solutions and alternative options while walking in the garden or hiking in a park.

Creative Activities

1) Hiking                              2) Research and plant orchids

3) Nature photography    4) Nature painting or embroidery

5) Plant a vegetable garden

Creativity inspires novel thinking and ideas. So, are you creative? You bet you are!  

Take some time each day to step away from your routine, and reach for a little creativity. It will not only make you feel good, it will renew and revitalize you. And, best of all, this newfound creativity will return you to health and might just develop in you the creative side you thought you didn’t have. 

All Pictures are courtesy of Pinterest