Creative Mindfulness: What Is It and How Can It Help?
Let’s face it, most of us don’t consider ourselves creative or even know why mindfulness should be part of our lives. We think we don’t have that special something to send us down the imagination road and make us forget about our daily troubles. But the truth is we all nurture creative powers hidden deep within. Not only that, but if you mix it with what’s known as mindfulness, you’ll begin to notice amazing benefits such as stress relief, increased emotional intelligence, improved memory, better mobility, and so on.
Mental health benefits of creativity
Most commonly defined, creativity is the ability to generate ideas, find original solutions to problems, and tackle day-to-day occurrences in new and interesting ways. You’re using your creativity every single day, but because you’re doing it unconsciously, it’s hard to pinpoint what would lead you to believe you’re truly creative. Even if you’re not aware of it, creativity has such a big impact on how you think, feel and behave. Creativity’s mental health benefits include:
- Increases happiness
- Reduces depression
- Improves emotional expression
- Reduces stress
- Improves cognitive function
Benefits of mindful activities
Take a second to pause what you’re doing. Let go of the noisy stream of thoughts and look around you. You will slowly start to feel grounded and aware of your surroundings. Have you figured out what you’re experiencing? That’s right: mindfulness. There are a lot of reasons people all over the world are adding mindfulness to their everyday routines and here are some of them:
- It reduces stress
- It controls anxiety
- It promotes emotional health
- It enhances self-awareness
- It improves attention span
- It generates kindness and compassion
Well, both are parts of your life, helping you navigate through so many moments that you couldn’t begin to count. Now, what happens when you combine them?
Best of both worlds: Creative Mindfulness
Creative mindfulness is for everyone. Taking the time to enjoy creative and mindful activities helps us focus on the process rather than focusing on the end results, which in turn boosts your self-esteem and helps you forget about perfectionism. Writing in your journal, colouring, singing, painting, and drawing - if you’ve done any of these, you can surely recall feelings of calmness, relaxation, joy, and playfulness. By allowing yourself to get into that gentle state of mind, you can change the way you relate to your inner self, other people, and the world around you.
Where can I start?
1. Practice self-kindness
Being kind to ourselves is hard to do when we’re filled with self-doubt and we’re overthinking every little flaw we have. But you can grow to be kind with yourself by being gentle and treating yourself like you would treat a person you love. Write yourself a love letter, start a gratitude journal or take a picture of yourself in a nice outfit. You will begin to see your worthiness through everything you are.
2. Draw or paint your feelings
Just as you would journal about your thoughts, you can give shape to your feelings in any way you want. You don’t have to think about the end result. Once you lay your pen or brush on the blank canvas, you’ll begin to feel free of whatever was holding you back from expressing your true self. Let yourself go and just enjoy the process! Start by following one of our mindful creative painting videos, such as the Mindful Veggies.
3. Learn something new
Starting something new is scary because we think we won’t succeed. We believe it’s safer to stay in our little bubble - it’s predictable, so it must be safe, right? Well, that is one way to put it, but staying in your comfort zone gives you no space to grow and expand your consciousness. Creating something completely new helps you appreciate the present moment just as it comes to you. Not knowing what can or will happen fills you with excitement and makes you curious in anticipation of what great feelings you may begin to experience.
Creative mindfulness is for everyone!
If you’re an absolute beginner who has never meditated, nor tried any creative activity, creative mindfulness is for you. If you’re already a spiritually awakened artist, creative mindfulness is for you as well!
It’s important to enjoy yourself and find the peace you deserve in your own way. Be it painting or journaling, being free of stress and worries through creativity is right at your fingertips!