Everyday life is full of stress and emotional discomfort therefore we all need to take care of our mental health. And one of the best coping mechanisms are creative activities.
So why is nurturing creativity so important? Short answer: Creativity is an incredible mood booster and it allows your weary brain to pause and reset, which will re-energize your mental capacity.
Stimulating the creative centre of your brain (yes we all have one) helps the logic centre of your brain to problem solve better, it helps you see more than one solution to the problem.
Being able to problem solve well is important, we problem solve constantly. From deciding what to wear, which road to take to work, what to pack for lunch to making important decisions at work. We problem solve all day. Studies show we make 35 000 decisions each day! And as your level of responsibility increases, so does the multitude of decisions you have to make. All this leads to decision fatigue. The more decisions you have to make, the more fatigue you develop and the more difficult it can become to actually make decisions.
This leads to stress, stress is how we react when we feel under pressure or threatened. It usually happens when we are in a situation that we don’t feel we can manage or control.
So how do we manage the decision fatigue that leads to stress? By giving the brain time to rest and reset. Just like your tired body needs time to rest, your weary brain needs time to rest.
Unfortunately sleep alone does not adequately rest or recharge your brain. To recharge the brain you need a mindful activity that stimulates the creative center of the brain giving the logic center (the decision making machine) a much needed break. Creative activities include knitting, gardening, drawing, painting, dancing or even playing a musical instrument.
Here’s a scientific fact: when we are being ‘creative’, our brains release dopamine, which is a natural anti-depressant. Tapping into our innate creativity (yes, we all have it!) and unleashing our imagination can help with processing emotions, reducing anxiety, improving self-esteem, and boosting our overall mental health.
Creativity is key to every-day problem solving, thinking outside the box, and finding solutions to complex situations.
We as moms or career woman have endless to-do lists and very limited time for ourselves especially when it comes to taking care of our mental health. My aim is to help you gain a better understanding of the importance of nurturing creativity and why your mental health matters.
Making time for creativity
That said I also know how hard it is to make time for ourselves and that is why I simplified 3 very popular creative activities. Read my blog post on 5 tips for making time to colour for tips on finding pockets of time.
I am delighted to share these tried and tested activities and techniques with you, so that you can enjoy your creative time and the benefits of it without adding extra stress and work to your already busy day.
I have a free workshop that introduces you to one of my favourite creative activities – mindful colouring. The techniques I share in this workshop are very easy, uses very basic supplies and can be done in as little at 10 minutes a day. Click the link below to join my free mini colouring workshop.