7 Simple Acts of Self-Care For The Creative Soul
Self-care for the creative soul is about as necessary as water is to the survival of plants.
People who store – and rely on – a lot of creative energy need some steadfast ways to replenish and protect it.
Read on for seven self-care acts you can implement any time of the day or week. As with all creative endeavors, feel free to put your own spin or twist on the suggestions below.
By focusing on what helps your creativity thrive, you can crowd out the negative energy that tries to zap your magnificent superpower.
1. Limit Your Screen Time
Most screens, whether phone, tablet, laptop, or TV, are designed to do one thing: keep you on them.
Social media, streaming platforms, and gaming apps are designed specifically to trigger dopamine flow, getting you hooked and wanting more.
While entertaining at times, something happens when you don’t give yourself time to be bored. Your creativity suffers.
When you put your phone and screens away, you’re giving your brain the opportunity to cook up some serious magic that would otherwise get lost on the infinite scroll of your favorite app.
2. Spend Half a Day Learning Something New
Get out of your comfort zone today and enjoy the creative reward later.
Challenging your mind and body to tasks you’re unfamiliar with, or even downright afraid of, can trigger a big boost of inspiration.
Take a half-day to indulge in something you’ve always thought about doing but haven’t yet taken the plunge. Think painting, taking an improv or dance class, or joining a creative workshop.
Write about it afterward and refer to it when you need a reminder of what you’re capable of.
3. Do Something That Ignites Your Senses
The creative soul relies just as much on external stimulation as we do on internal energy. Stimulate your mind through your senses!
Shop for intoxicating foods at a local farmer’s market, lull yourself to calm with classical music, get an invigorating massage, or treat yourself to some at-home taste testing using spices and heat you don’t normally eat.
These self-care activities may seem simple, but if you tune in (screens off) you’ll tap into a well of creative thoughts and even unearth old memories.
4. Minimize Everyday Choices
Avoid unnecessary brain overwhelm, or what’s commonly referred to as “analysis paralysis”. From the moment you wake up every morning to the time your head hits the pillow, you make hundreds of decisions.
Some are surely necessary and important, but do your creative energy a favor and skip the ones that aren’t.
Plan your meals ahead of time, keep your work attire simple (the most successful people do this), and create a reliable system for recurring tasks.
Putting a mindful, intentional bedtime routine into practice can help you mentally and physically decompress after a long day.
5. Use Your Hands To Create Something
A big part of self-care for the creative soul is making time to reunite with self. Get back to who you truly are. Like, underneath all the extra stuff you build up around yourself and that life throws at you.
There’s nothing more comforting for the creative than getting hands dirty and physically connecting with things.
Gardening, sculpting, cooking, or weaving are great ways to soothe the spirit while keeping your creative channels wide open.
Experiment with unique flower arrangements, new recipes, or decorating with funky textiles. There’s no wrong way to play!
6. Explore One Hobby Entirely For Fun
Hobbies usually are fun, but more often than not we come to expect something from them.
Take care of your curious side and explore a hobby that is just for fun. Set yourself free of expectations, judgements, and restrictions.
It doesn’t matter if you’ll excel at it, the act of doing will be rewarding to your creative brain.
Get out of your head and embrace the beauty that arises when you embark on a journey that welcomes imperfection.
7. Preserve Creative Energy w/ Boundaries
Learn to honor the natural creative call with self-care via healthy boundaries.
Whether they’re to help friends and family know when you’re available or to keep yourself off your phone or away from work when the mood strikes, boundaries will ensure access to your creativity when it’s at its highest peaks.
Struggle with setting boundaries and carving out time for “selfish” endeavors?
Learn how to step away from the disease of people pleasing.
The best forms of self-care are free, simple, and easy to incorporate on a moment’s notice.
Creativity opens up a portal for you to access the truest, most authentic version of yourself. It’s free and it’s at your disposal anytime.
Keep the above ideas in mind whenever you need to recharge your creative soul.
