Casting Away Stress with Creativity

After my mom died and before the pandemic, I took a pottery class. I loved it. I have nothing to show for my hours and hours of work that is tangible, everything I made looks like I created it in Kindergarten. But it was soothing and satisfying and I learned that I like to buy pretty pottery more than I want to make it. I also tried drawing and paint-by-numbers. I'm not destined for a second career in the arts. But this was good for my body. Artists often talk about how their artistic expression is a way they work through past suffering.

What I learned is that it does not require artistic talent to engage in creative activities that give us more energy and enthusiasm.

What creative outlet is possible for you? Go for it!

A Creative…

"View your life from your funeral: Looking back at your life experiences, what have you accomplished? What would you have wanted to accomplish but didn't? What were the happy moments? What were the sad? What would you do again, and what wouldn't you do?"

Victor Frankl

My go-get-'em tiger friends on occasion take short cuts; they do not worry about perfection; they want results. Which is why it is also good to know influencers who inspire through creativity. One of my sons is about to release his second album. It is so good. I keep telling him that he should release a recommended reading list of books on history, philosophy, sports and politics that have inspired his lyrics. The musical vibe may be cheerful and even a bit pop-ish at times. The beat gets my feet moving. But the message? Wow. It is broad and long and deep.

Creatives long for and require authenticity; they stand close to their values in all they do. They inspire me.

Could this be you? Can you think of others in your life who have this capacity and inspire you?

Permission to Rest…

“You are worth the quiet moment. You are worth the deeper breath. You are worth the time it takes to slow down, be still, and rest.”

Morgan Harper Nichols

I miss pre-pandemic snow days. It’s tough to justify cancelling zoom meetings because the roads are too icy for safe travel.

We NEED snow days. We NEED breaks in our routine. We NEED unexpected quiet moments.

Why is it that we so often require an act of mother nature to give us permission to take better care of ourselves? Look around! Notice how all this productivity and efficiency is impacting our mental health!

Google the stats. So many people NOT taking all their vacation days - have we lost our marbles?

Boredom, wasting time, inefficiencies, these are all fertilizer for creativity.

In a world in search of so many solutions, my prayer is that I can remember the words of Jesus, who encouraged us in Matthew 11 to come to him and receive rest. If you, like me, need permission to take a break even though it FEELS like we shouldn’t need it - here is your permission slip.

Take a snow day. Or a personal health day. Or spend a vacation day...on you.

Over-working does not equal commitment

Our worth is totally unrelated to our productivity. This is a well-kept secret. There is plenty of research out in the world that teaches us that workaholics are less productive and creative than their counterparts - people who have boundaries. In spite of the fact that we know that lack of sleep impacts our physical health, increases the likelihood of accidents, etc., it is still considered a bit of a status symbol to complain about how busy we are.

Our temptation when setting goals and desiring change is to work harder. But oftentimes we are doing the wrong work!! What we need is time to play!

Need more creativity to solve serious problems at work? Go play.

Desire more joy in your life? Go outside and play.

Wish you had better interpersonal skills and more healthy relationships? Go play.

It turns out that playtime does all sorts of amazing things to the brain. It also helps it calm down and recover after periods of stress. Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play has been quoted as saying, “The opposite of play is not work - the opposite of play is depression.”

If you are resolved to change something, make sure you book in playtime. Whatever your goal, taking breaks by playing will help you achieve them.