Creativity and Self-Care
You probably know this paradox: the best self-care often comes from creating something—playing with your creativity. But when you’re stressed and need self-care the most, creativity is the last thing on your mind.
Instead, you find yourself doing everything necessary just to keep life going: grocery shopping, work, emails, and obligations. And the more you do, the emptier, ungrounded, and pressured you feel. That canvas behind the door you’ve been meaning to paint, or the musical instrument you finally bought—they’re just collecting dust.
This happens because of how our nervous system has evolved. When we feel unsafe, anxious, or overwhelmed by too many demands, too much screen time, too little time in nature, or conflicts with others, our delicate, complex survival system kicks in. We go into fight, flight, freeze, or collapse.
Once we’re there, the cooperation between the brain’s right and left hemispheres weakens, and the language centers shut down—just a few of the cascading changes. We become less curious, less playful, less empathetic, and yes, less creative. Creativity, which is so beneficial for us, depends on a sophisticated interplay of many nervous system functions, and it doesn’t work well under stress.
The good news? It works the other way around, too. If we pick up a piece of paper, start dancing wildly, or put our hands into a pot and create something delicious, we return to the safety of the present moment, back into our senses.
It’s as if our nervous system says, “Ah, she/he is safe enough to play. I can dial down the survival mode now.” Enjoyment, reflection, and calm naturally follow. Or we find relief and meaning by expressing something we’ve been carrying inside.
If you’d like gentle support and reminders to nourish yourself every day with your creative energy, HEAL-Keys could be for you. You can do them with others, or at home—whether in your living room, your garden, or even a quiet corner of your neighborhood.
Start with a free trial here and see if you’d like to join our community of creative self-healers. Click the button below and choose the English version when you arrive at the website.
With love and creativity,
Karin
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