ART
Have you ever lost your drive to play or be creative? I did, it’s happened to me. One can lose their creative spark after a serious health issue, life trauma, success or time. For me it was after my cancer diagnosis and the deaths of my parents. It was like everything stood still and I had no drive within me. Today I will share with you ways to possibly raise your drive to play and be creative (they are also helpful suggestions for living).
PUSH through it. Just keep going. Often we can have little creative hiccups, where we find ourselves not enjoying what we once loved. The key is to just keep going.
TALK to someone. Often all we need is to share our thoughts and feelings with someone we trust. It could be your partner, family member, friend or medical professional that you talk to. This is sometimes the only thing you need to do.
TRY another activity. Sometimes all you need is a change in “scenery.” Pick up another art form that you have always wanted to try; this newness often provides that little lift that you need.
EXERCISE your body. There is nothing like the rise of endorphins in your system exercise causes. The extra burst of energy that exercise makes, can then in turn, encourage a creativity hit.
OUTSIDE time to get a change in scenery. Take a book outside and read. Or, walk the dog (or yourself). Frequently, being in nature can clear our minds and invigorate our hearts.
TRAVEL for a day trip or longer. Either way, you will break the monotony of your current setting and see a brand new world. Not only does it change your surroundings, but travel often disrupts our schedule…in a good way.
REST your mind, body and soul. Taking a break can be a good thing. Every so often, it is because we are tired and just need to catch up on missed rest or sleep.
TIME to have a change in your schedule. Sometimes you just need to have a break. Put it aside and just carry on with life. Sometimes the stress of not being creative can add more stress. Allow yourself the space.
So now if you lose your creative spark, or just spark in general, you now know what to do about it. All the above suggestions sum up to the idea of taking care of yourself. Be good to yourself and return to your shine!
SOUL
Sometimes goals can seem so BIG. Like mine. I’m in the process of losing a fair amount of weight, not just a mere 10 pounds (kilograms unknown, sorry). And at times one can feel overwhelmed, when willpower, discipline and motivation seem to be not enough. Studies have shown that the problem is when the goal is too big or large. For example, we set a goal to exercise for an hour, 5 times a week. And when we miss the mark, we feel like a failure. Instead we need to reach for small, attainable goals like 10 minutes, 2 times a week.
The researcher used Amazon as an example. Amazon now has the one – click buy button. They have taken the motivation out and made it easy for people to purchase. As per the exercise example (exercise 10 minutes for 2 times per week), he found that making it easy to reach success, the more likely the people would exercise longer than their 10 minutes, or more than 2 times per week! With this knowledge, I no longer focus on the big total, weight loss number, I focus on losing a pound (kilograms unknown, sorry) a week. This is my focus and it is so workable.
Besides having small attainable goals, being regular helps. The example of tooth brushing is that every day you brush for 2 minutes versus an hour deep clean on Saturdays. For me and my weight loss, it is to eat within my daily food requirements every day.
Examples of small, attainable and regular goals are: adding a 5 minute stretch while the coffee brews or the tea seeps every morning. Drink 1 cup (250ml) at the top of every hour versus 2 quarts (litres) for the day. So with your goals, if you make them small, attainable and regular and you’ll find success. If I can do it, you can as well. My thanks to the Marie Forleo podcast where I heard Dr. Ranjan Chatterjee (Book: Feel Better in Five) speak about this.
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