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Tips on Being More Creative
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- Category: Self-Help
Creativity is a necessary life enhancing survival skill or art of innate ability. Ted Brown, singer, songwriter and former addict, has a wonderful article on Addiction Blog titled, "7 Ways to Get Into a Creative State Without Drugs or Alcohol.I've added one more point to his list with several examples of how to make creativity happen and keep it alive. *pix credit
Reduce or stop doing anything or consuming anything or associating with anyone or anything that contributes to foggy brain.
That usually means
1. Get eight hours of sleep routinely.
2. Eliminate processed sugar and chemicals from your diet.
3. Exercise moderately and regularly.
4. Eat three meals a day moderately and regularly.
5. Make your bed in the morning>
Yes. This lets your unconscious know that you've taken care of unfinished business and are
prepared to start anew. That lets your creativity come in with more energy.
6. Do the dishes before you go to bed (see 5. above).
7. Find something everyday that makes you laugh out loud.
Yes. Laughter is a signal that you've broken preconceived notions and experienced a new or creative approach. That opens you up for more creativity.
8. Get out of negative and draining situations.
Notice and take care of yourself when you find that foggy brain sneaks into your skull if you are with
particular people or in particular groups or in particular surroundings. When you feel "stupid" look around and identify what's in your environment. Give yourself a clear and clean space where your intelligence and creativity can roam.
And more..... thank goodness.
See TED talks about creativity.
What can you add that you've discovered to nurture and maintain your creativity?
*pix credit An abstract picture vs. a smiling Knut with a base cap
Date 2007-07-31 (original upload date)
Source Originally from en.wikibooks; description page is/was here.
Author Original uploader was Mrausch at en.wikibooks
Permission (Reusing this file)
CC-BY-SA-2.5,2.0,1.0; Released under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Comments
I belong to a free-cycle group on Facebook. The original intent was to offer and/or receive items for free. It's an excellent way to purge your closets of extraneous items that clog your space and your creativity (in my case).
It has become so much more. We now frequently post for families that have lost much or all that they have in house fires or other tragedies.
We collect items for people with cancer, or those starting anew with nothing. For mothers who have no money to buy their children clothes, and the list goes on.
Being wrapped up full time in my ED did not allow me to see the needs of those around me. My focus was always on me and how I'd get through my day without gaining weight, finding bathrooms to myself, keeping my secret to myself.
As I free myself up from these things, I can see the needs of others. I can give without needing to receive. It's enough to know I've helped another receive joy.
I have been on the receiving side of generosity when I have been the one that is sick or down and out. It's truly AA blessing!
I find spending time outdoors, going for walks at local beauty spots or nature reserves and taking the time to admire things in nature really boosts my creative energy. At times when brain fog does start to set in, I do find taking myself outside to stretch my legs, a change of scenery and some fresh air really helps even if it's just 10 minutes.
I also find booking myself onto a training session at work helps too - because of the nature of the work, and format of the training sessions. It helps because it's a "safe" environment - we always draw up a contract at the start of the session that includes confidentiality, being non-judgemental, and respecting each other's differences and it helps to know I'm with like-minded people too. It also helps that we are guided to explore our own self-awareness, and set tasks to bring emotions to the fore. And then obviously it helps that because we counsel children through play, and the training rooms are always set out like our therapy rooms with a whole host of creative and arts and crafts materials, that when we are set tasks the expectation is that we will go off and find a sheet of A2 or A3 paper and paints, fingerpaints, pencils, crayons, glitter etc or clay/playdoh or a sand tray and figures and create some form of expression of what we are feeling/experiencing.
One thing I am starting to be a bit wary/concerned about is the impact of food, eating seems to just zap all my energy and cloud my mind, obviously carbs are the worst for this, it's no wonder the only times I feel like I can apply myself properly to things are first thing in the morning pre-breakfast and late at night when I should be going to bed. I've realised recently that I have some kind of low-level anxiety that is constantly running in the background even when I'm not thinking about things, and I eat (carbs) to calm this feeling down, but as soon as I get it calmer, I get the carb-related brain fog and often drowsiness that makes me still unable to apply myself to things, albeit in a different way.
It makes sense now, as my old therapist did say to me at some point during my treatment that she was surprised given my background that I didn't have some kind of anxiety disorder... well it seems that at some level, maybe I do ...so that's where I'm at, at the moment, needing to deal with the anxiety and things that drive it.
It's wonderful to see this post from you after your heartwarming and inspiring post about giving.
Sounds like you are learning to give what really matters to yourself too!
Brava Brava Brava!
Tracy
ps I'm gonna have a few jelly beans and not obsess over it!! Happy Easter everyone!
This is fabulous news. I celebrate with you. We all celebrate with you.
You found the key in Healing Your Hungry Heart. Surrender.
When you surrender to the exercises and follow them as you are the rest of the book
makes more sense as a guide and support.
I love the way you summarize the points that help you with such good cheer.
Favor? Could you post your full comment, just the way it is, same title and all, as a review on Amazon.com? I think it would be a great way for you to extend your celebration while
giving up to people who dream of nine days and would be so inspired to hear of 90 days!
Congratulations, Tacy. I'm so happy for you and happy for us who follow your recovery path.
Your efforts sustain us all.
One of the joys of recovery is discovering how much your recovery helps others to recover and to
stay on their path when it's hard. You become a beacon of light.
Thank you for sharing your progress with us.
Suggestion: I'd break up the lines with lots of paragraph spaces so it's easier for people to read, like a graph space every two lines.
Yes, those girls are beautiful and strong. We played Harry Potter, as always. It was quidditch practice. I was trying out for keeper. Potted flowers for parents. Colored Easter eggs for hours, every one an artistic creation, danced, watched Frozen (again), cuddled, read ""Babbity Rabbity and the Cackling Stump" loved up the dogs.
During quidditch practice I threw a bright yellow tennis ball for my white terrier, Treya to fetch. She ran through the quidditch game as Seeker.
Beautiful and strong all! Thanks for saying so, tracy.
Tracy, I'm so pleased for you - you've worked so hard to get to this point, it feels like a long overdue and much deserved success for you!
S xx
i hope you are doing well