Sometimes life throws you curveballs, dampening your spirits. Things do not always work according to plan. You could be employed one day, retrenched on the next. Business can be booming today, and tomorrow it could all go belly-up. We have witnessed enough in the global economics of past seasons to know that you can be wealthy one day and go bankrupt on the next. Such is life. It is just so because there are no guarantees that things will go the way we want, no matter how much we wish them to.
Sometimes, it is not even that something tragic has happened. How often have you experienced one of those days where you do not even feel like getting out of bed in the morning?
It could be that you have so much pressure to meet impossible deadlines that you barely have time to breathe. If you are in business or are an employee at a big organization, you have probably experienced fatigue from trying to make sure things fall into place. There never seems to be enough time in the day to get anything done, which often leaves us feeling tired and frustrated, without actually having accomplished much.
Due to all the different scenarios above, there are moments in our lives where we just do not feel like ourselves. It is a struggle in such times to be cheery and all gung-ho about life. If we are honest with ourselves, it is impossible to sail through life, happy at all times. In those seasons where you struggle to be happy, you cannot even gather enough enthusiasm to be sociable to be around friends and family. Everyone has experienced such seasons. It just comes with the territory of being human.
Camping in those hard times where you are experiencing many lows is not good for you. It can cost you your health and relationships. Your mood can also affect your work. It is difficult to be productive when you are not in the right mind space because your focus is divided. You cannot perform at the optimum level during these times.
When such things happen, you need to shake off the melancholy and find your footing again. You need to find things that boost your morale and get you to be your normal self again.
The correlation between creativity and wellbeing.
Ever wondered why we have a fascination with fiction? It allows us to escape reality, if only for a little while. We get to watch, read, or listen to the adventures of others. It captures our imagination and allows us to shut out whatever needs our attention in the real world. It is for this reason that we also schedule vacation time and travel to exotic places to experience an environment that is far from our usual one.
Another outlet for moments of difficulty is creativity. Losing yourself in a creative project can improve your mood immensely. Imagine the times you have engaged in activities such as dancing, drawing, writing, or even planting a garden in your backyard. Or the times when you re-decorate your living space or paint or build. Think about times when you are engaged in a creative thinking process for a work project that you love or when your focus is on coming up with a new product for the market. There is something about these mundane activities that just puts you at ease. It calms the feelings of frustration and lifts your mood.
When your focus is on something that you enjoy, it changes your mood. Your full attention is on producing something of value, and you rarely have time to engage any negative thoughts that may threaten to pull you down. That allows you to be in a positive space. You find joy in what you are doing, and that joy cascades to every other area of your mind. It makes you feel lighter and more amenable to positivity.
Expressing yourself through artistic activities is like a prescription for your mental health. It refreshes your mind from worry and anxiety. You often get lost in the task at hand, engaging your imagination.
Creating anything is self-expression. At that moment when your creative juices are flowing, you are in tune with the deepest parts of yourself. It gives you space to sort out whatever mixed-up feelings you have. The self-assessment helps you find your way out of difficult situations.
Any activity that allows you to engage your inner artist gives you a sense of accomplishment. It renews your confidence in yourself, making you feel better about whatever circumstances you find yourself in. That achievement of something which holds meaning to you gives you the confidence to tackle whatever issues you are facing.
Some people testify that the act of pouring their hurt in a journal, a song, or a poem in the middle of heartbreak or terrible loss leaves them feeling marginally better. It proves the fact that creativity has the potential to lift your mood.
Creative activities that you can engage in when you want to feel better.
There is more than one creative way to de-stress. To pick yourself up when you are feeling down, you must choose activities that make you feel happy.
The list of activities includes, but is not limited to:
- Crafts: pottery, knitting, embroidery.
- D.I. Y projects: interior design/redecorating, organizing your closet, decluttering your living/ workspace.
- Artwork: drawing, painting, sculpting.
- Creative writing: blogging, poetry, novel, songwriting.
- Dancing.
- Cooking and baking: trying out new recipes.
- Learning to play an instrument.
Embracing your creative side allows you to refocus your energy from what upsets you to what makes you happy. It is a tried and tested way to shake off bad days. Find something that you love doing; something that makes you relax and be in touch with your inner self. It will do wonders in making you feel better.
Photo by Maahid Photos on Unsplash