Finding Calm With Creativity

Sometimes planning out my goals for the month can be overwhelming and feel like the first day of college. You know when you show up to class and the teacher hands you a big syllabus of all the upcoming assignments that you much complete in the next few months. By the end of the syllabus review, my heart is pumping and my head is racing with all that I need to do. 

Recently that feeling of overwhelm with all my goals that needed to be completed by the end of this month left my head spinning.  Then the thought of what the heck I was thinking when I wrote the goals down and self-doubt of being able to accomplish them start to creep in. 

Wanting the craziness to stop, I decided it was time to pull out my paints and focus on being creative for 20 minutes to allow me to refocus on what was important. Once the paint touched the paper, I felt instant calm and peace. Taking time out allowed me to realize that it is okay to go slow and not stress about everything that needs to be done this month. (You can read my blog about creating calm with Meditative Painting here.)

Knowing that I can create something that makes my heart feel happy in that time allows me to know that I can accomplish whatever goal that I have set for myself.

According to a CNN article, This is Your Brain on Crafting, crafting also improves our self-efficacy or how we feel about performing particular tasks. Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to succeed in a particular situation. 

The article goes on to state that, “Psychologists believe a strong sense of self-efficacy is key to how we approach new challenges and overcome disappointments in life. So realizing you can, in fact, crochet a sweater for your nephew can help you tackle the next big paper your teacher assigns.” 

There are a variety of creative activities that you can try out to reconnect to yourself. You can try out crochet/knitting, woodworking, cooking, painting, or gardening to name a few crafts that help you relax and let you enjoy the moment of creating. 

The next time you start to feel overwhelmed and need to step back, try creating something. 

I would love to hear how creativity has helped you overcome overwhelm. Please feel to email me at waltzingtowardjoy@gmail.com

Have a blessed day! Remember…you are loved!