How Creativity can Help you Heal and Release Pain
Last week I wrote about Flow State and how to practice being in this mindful state more. As a natural progression, this week I wanted to talk about the role of Creativity in mental health, and why I think Creativity is necessary for a meaningful life. Everything in our world was created; Either by humans or forces of the universe that made the plants, water, thousands of species of bugs, reptiles, mammals and so, so much more! It doesn’t matter what your particular spiritual or religious beliefs are, everything you see is an act of creation.
How does creativity help us?
Creativity allows us to access the Right side of our brain; The side responsible for imagination and dreams. For most of the day we spend tour time in the Left hemisphere of the brain. This part is for logical thinking and is task-oriented. Many jobs require us to be in this part of the brain. However, because we spend so much time in our Left brain throughout the day, it is important to balance it out by intentionally connecting to our Right brain.
When we meet tasks with a creative mindset, we tend to enjoy them more. Creativity is the absolute best use of our brain, while Anxiety is a misdirection of our creativity. A creative brain works like the Wright Brothers…What if we could fly? Or like Elon Musk…What if we could make space travel a reality? This expands the possibilities of life! An anxious brain uses creativity in a negative way…What if I never find love? What if I never get my dream job? This shrinks our sense of self and our world. Using creativity in a positive way can help us work through anxiety…for example, ‘What if I make it through this okay?’ or ‘What if I have a great time at the party?’ Then let yourself explore those possibilities instead.
In my job, I often have to problem solve creatively. What works for one client, may not work for another. I love how this forces me to grow as a healer and gain more knowledge in different processes. We are dynamic human beings and how we heal is unique to our personality and life experiences. Working creatively, and using various methods and modalities, allows me to more effectively target Client’s distress and enable them with better ways of coping.
Using Creativity is a great way to cope with life and get relief from a variety of stressors. We create our environment. When we are in deep pain and stress, and we hold of to these emotions or experiences, we create more of the same. When we are in flow, and stay present in a state of calm, despite what may be happening around us, we also create more of the same. This is not to pass any sort of judgement on people who are currently attaching to their pain. There are reasons we get stuck in our pain, and we want to honor those reasons, while actively working on healing.
How can you use creativity to channel pain or anxiety in a productive way?
You could create some artwork. Build a sculpture, do a drawing, or paint. Perhaps you’re feeling lonely during Social distancing and not getting to see friends and family as much. Instead of getting stuck in the loneliness. Create an image about it…What does loneliness feel like? Can you convey it through a symbol? A landscape? In an abstract way? Play around and see what comes up. If you’re feeling stuck, close your eyes and move your pencil/pen/paintbrush around without thinking about it. When you’re ready, open your eyes and see what is there. Can you make it into anything?
You could write a song or poem about a hardship you’re experiencing. Perhaps you’re feeling sad because you notice a friend has been drifting away and you’ve felt a growing distance between you. Channel the emotions of that to create music. Make a rap about it. Rap music is really good at channeling pain into a powerful means of expression. This is a good place to find inspiration.
Write a short story. Write about a character who is going through a similar problem. How would the character handle the situation? What would be the possible outcomes? How can the character take steps to work toward the best attainable outcome?
Do 10-15 minutes of unscripted movement. Instead of putting on a yoga or exercise video to follow along, create your own routine. Pay attention to how your body wants to move, what it needs in the moment. You could also put on your favorite music and dance however you feel called in the moment or create a choreographed routine for fun. Does the movement follow the beat of the music or can you try to express the emotion of the music?
Other creative hobbies include: Sewing, Embroidery, Woodworking, Gardening, Cooking, playing an instrument, Home Design/Improvement projects, Jewelry making, Welding and Metal working, Glass blowing and Stained-glass work, building model cars/airplanes/animals, playing games like Dungeons and Dragons which requires creative strategizing. There are sooo many more!
You can use any of these techniques with any emotions or challenges you may be struggling with. You can also use them for positive things, like planning out your dream vacation and everything you would do during.
Having a creative outlet will help you cope better with the stressors of life. Giving your brain this time to explore and play will help improve your productivity, and strengthen your brain’s ability to use creative problem solving in other areas of life. Creative outlets allow us to tap into our relaxation response, which is crucial in the high-stress, productivity prioritizing, high-performing expectations we and our society places on us. I hope you try some of these techniques and notice how they work for you!
To learn more about how art therapy and working with me can help you, click here.
Sarah Seraphina is a Spiritual Activator and Liberation Guide. She is the owner of Nurtured Essence, a healing space, aimed at helping women overcome their past patterns and fears, so they may thrive and live with more power, purpose, ease, and joy. She specializes in working with healers, recovering empaths and “Damsels in Distress”, highly-sensitive women, lightworkers, and women with a sacred mission.
