5 Strategies for Managing Your Creative Energy
By Joy Mizzoni
Focus Arts & Healing
Do you feel overwhelmed, anxious or suffer from a gnarly case of writer's block? Do you have an ocean of brilliant ideas swimming around in that brain of yours but just don't know where to begin?
Are you stuck in an endless loop of half-baked passion projects that you can't seem to get off the ground?
Are you too exhausted from your 9-5 gig and dread staring at a computer screen after schlepping through a forty-plus hour work week?
Is procrastination a habit you just can't quit?
If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above, then this e-book is perfect for you.
There was a time in my life where the creative juices flowed like Niagara Falls. I created art, blog posts, sketches. Writers Block to me was some mysterious myth only poor unfortunate souls stumbled upon, but not me!
Writing came as easy to me as breathing. Words tumbled out of my brain onto the paper like music notes dancing in a symphony. It was easy, effortless. This has been the case for most of my life.
Then things drastically changed. Things happened. Life happened. Jobs happened. Anxiety, fear, depression and overwhelm hopped into the driver’s seat and kicked my creative dreams to the curb like some unfortunate soul tossed out of a speeding car.
Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years.
The ideas never left. But it was like an invisible shield materialized between the thoughts and the actions. When I thought about going near the keyboard, my heart would start beating. My body instantly tensed, and I could feel my nervous system shift into fight or flight.
I was in the shower one evening and the words "writers block" popped into my head. Then it dawned on me, there's a name for my affliction! I'm not bad, lazy, inadequate, or defective. There's an actual, text-book term for what I was going through!
Sure, this term coined “writer’s block” manifested in different ways for different people, but the end result was the same.
My creative energy was blocked. Plugged up like a kid’s toy stuffed into the toilet.
So, I thought about this, pondered, analyzed the situation, and realized all the strategies I have previously employed to deal with this were not working. Such strategies included:
I was stuck in what felt like an invisible prison! Enough was enough!
I clearly understood that this was not going to get better unless I DID something. The problem was every time I tried to DO something my nervous system was not having it. The negative thoughts would come rushing at me like a wave in a tsunami.
Some examples of these thoughts that have been blocking my creative energy are:
I realized there was a lot going on here under the scenes. The primary emotion blocking my creative energy was FEAR. Plain and simple.
Fear of speaking my truth. Fear of judgement. Fear of being deemed unprofessional. Fear of wasting my time. Fear of losing control. Fear that if I stepped back into my creativity, other parts of my life would fall apart.
It doesn’t matter what the fear is or its origin, again, the result was the same; blocked creativity.
I was stuck like a rat in a trap and my excuses were the cheese that got me there.
As I explored this further, I came up with 5 Strategies that I’m excited to share with you now.
Do they really work, you may ask?
The fact you are reading this is proof that they work! ?All it takes is the ability to be uncomfortable in the name of progress.
?Strategy #1: Know they self.
This isn’t just some strange archaic phrase written on an ancient scroll. It’s the first step in taking control of your thoughts and actions.
What are your distraction patterns? What are your vices under extreme stress? Do you melt into couch and watch endless hours of Netflix while eating ice-cream sundaes and downing four glasses of wine?
Think of yourself as a master “hacker” and you are the mainframe computer system you are stiving to understand. Unless you are aware of the way you behave under stressful conditions, you will be unable to change these habits.
Strategy #2: Learn to Self-Soothe
Once you understand your distraction patterns and can recognize that you are engaging in behaviors that can be classified as numbing behaviors (alcohol and substances also fall into these categories) you can begin to take steps to replace these behaviors with positive self-soothing activities.
A word of caution here, BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF. When you realize that you are on hour four of Netflix, stop and turn off the t.v. Get up. Check in with yourself. Are you watching because you are really enthralled in the masterful drama or are you unable to face reality at the current moment?
I’ve heard people say time and time again that they need to unwind, or “shut their mind off”. I fully understand this. However, it’s important that you learn to recognize when you are on auto pilot.
For me, it starts with racing thoughts and I find my brain gets “stuck” on something such as conversation that happened at work or I start to feel extremely tired. Then my heart starts beating fast and something shuts down in me and……to the couch I go!
In the past, it was very difficult for me to get out of these “funks” and I would spiral into a depressive state. However, these strategies have lessoned these episodes from several weeks to now, just a day or two, thankfully.
Below are some healthy and holistic ways I’ve learned to self-soothe when I can feel my nervous system is over-taxed and I begin to feel overwhelmed. ?
1.????Hot showers
2.????Yin yoga
3.????Listening to positive affirmations and meditations
4.????Keeping the house stocked with healthy “comfort” foods
5.????Getting my nails done
6.????Treating myself to a monthly massage
7.????Scented candles, incense
8.????Saying kind and calm words to myself outload
9.????Ensuring my environment demonstrates peace and serenity
10.?Watching a motivational video or listening to a personal development podcast
Basically, any activity that calms the nervous system and brings you out into a calm and relaxed state where you can logically discern the situation.
Strategy #3: Create an a.m./p.m. routine
A solid morning and evening routine has been my lifesaver! Without it, I’d probably still be on ten different medications, popping benzodiazepines and chain-smoking Marlboro reds. I am not exaggerating. At. All. I. Am. Serious. Very. Serious.
Out of everything I’ve shared with you today, this is by far one of the most powerful strategies I have employed over the past decade.
I have two version my a.m./p.m. routines. The first version I utilize when I’m feeling great! Things are flowing, nothing feels too stressful in my life, and I’m generally okay.?
The second version is what I save for “bare minimum days.”
These days I can feel myself slipping.
Maybe I had to work 50 hours that week at my day job or maybe I had an unexpected expense. Whatever the reason, I’ve practiced Strategy #1 long enough to where “I know myself.”. I know the only thing between me, and 40 hours of Netflix is to engage in the bare-minimum routine. ?
Below are examples.
Routine #1: A.M.
Make bed
Yin/Yoga & Meditation
Write affirmations
Review vision/goals for my life
Pull a tarot card
Shower
Hair & makeup
Coffee & nourishing breakfast
Feed dogs
Gym @ lunch
P.M.
Gym (if didn’t go at lunch)
Yin Yoga before bed
Wash dishes/pick up house/clear clutter
Feed dogs
Prepare for next day (remember, the next day starts the night before!)
Prepare coffee
领英推荐
Work on passion projects, read, paint or take action in alignment with goals, journal
Go to bed before 11pm
Now, on bare minim days, you can erase 90 percent of those things.
Here is an example of a “bare minimum” routine.
A.M.
Get to work and look presentable so you don’t get fired
P.M.
Look around the house and assess what the bare minimum I have to do to keep ?my life from absolutely falling apart!
Take five-ten minutes and straighten up the house the best I can
Feed the dogs
Take a hot shower, turn on a meditation and go to bed
Do you see the difference?
One thing that has helped me tremendously is to accept the fact that I will have “bare minimum days”. There will be days I’m tired or overworked. Or the weather sucks. Or..or…or.
The key here is to let go of the guilt and shame and treat yourself kindly.
However, when you feel better, it’s time to get back to your “normal routine.”
The goal is that bare minimum becomes the exception, not the normal.
I want to be very clear that in the beginning of my transformational journey, bare minimum was my absolute normal. Hell, you don’t want to know what my normal was. I lived in a very precarious place mentally, physically, and financially for longer than I care to admit!
But if I can get there, you can too!
Strategy #4: Create a habit tracker or a list of “safe” activities?
I want you to get two pieces of paper. On the first one, I want you to make a list of all the activities you engage in when you are procrastinating, numbing out, distracting yourself, etc. These can include endless hours of t.v. and social media. Mindless scrolling on your phone. Overeating, alcohol, or whatever.
Then, I want you to take a second sheet of paper and make a list of activities that you know would enrich your life and move you closer to your goals. Below are examples of activities that I have incorporated into my own habit tracker:
Make bed
Prepare Coffee
A.m. yoga
Wash Dishes p.m.
Grocery Shop
Meal prep
Laundry
Sweep Floor
Mop Floor
Clean bathroom
Nails
Massage
Hair
Skincare
Study Real Estate
Paint
Reading
Ritual work/Spiritual work
Creative Visualization
Plan & Goal Set
Brainstorm Focus Arts & Healing
Work on website
Work on online store
Post to social media
Publish LinkedIn article
Create Blog post
Online Support Groups
Toastmasters
Then, when you don’t know what to do with yourself or if you feel restless, tired, angry, or slipping into old patterns, pull out this list and do one thing.
Go to the Dollar Store and buy yourself some star stickers, and every time you do engage in an activity on this list, put a star sticker next to it! You will be surprised at your progress!
Strategy #5: Do it for 10 minutes?
Transforming our lives and breaking through our creative blocks is no different than going to the gym. Below is a glimpse into the inner workings of my brain and what happens most days in my head. (Please keep in mind, the dialogue below is not between two people! This is an example of me, arguing with me, to get me to go to the gym!)
“Ugh I don’t want to go. It’s cold outside. It’s rainy. This sucks. I don’t have anything to wear. Why am I doing this.”
“Just go and walk thirty minutes on the treadmill. You don’t have to talk to anyone, you don’t have to go near the weights if you feel uncomfortable. I promise.”
“Ugh fine. I’m not doing anything else. This is stupid and I hate everything.”?
Gets in car…drives to the gym…
Walks in the gym….glances around…
“Ugh. Who are all these people and why are so many of them here? Why are they so fit? Why are they working so hard? Why am I here?”
Drags self to elliptical machine….
“Everything hurts and I don’t want to be here.”
Watches a girl doing lunges and squats…
“ugh I’m not doing that. I hate this. Lunges are stupid.”
Then…. About ten to fifteen minutes in, something miraculously changes! Some strange alchemical process happens every single time!
My thoughts change instantly to…
“Omg I forgot the gym was my favorite place to be! I can’t wait to come back tomorrow! I FEEL AMAZING!”
And so, the cycle repeats itself, over and over.
The moral of the story is you gotta DO SOMETHING.
Words turn into sentences, sentences turn into paragraphs, and paragraphs turn into pages.
One dab of paint on the canvas turns into a brush stroke which turns into a shape which turns into a masterpiece!
Even the most beautiful symphony starts with one single music note!
All the power of the ocean is essentially just a tiny drop of water multiplied.
You can do this. If you can’t write a word yet, turn on your lap top. Set the timer for 5 minutes and sit there staring at a blank page. Do this repeatedly until you realize, you CAN type one word!
Then the next day, type two words.
Eventually your nervous system will understand that it’s safe for you to create again. You’re not going to lose control. Your life will not fall apart and the most important thing to understand is that imperfection is okay.
To fully harness our creative potential, we must give ourselves permission to be messy, imperfect, unprofessional, colorful, unique and different!
It's important to remember that creativity is not about being perfect or following the rules. It's about expressing yourself in a way that feels authentic and true to you. So don't be afraid to take risks, make mistakes, and try new things. Embrace your unique perspective and let your creativity shine!