“Creativity takes courage.” – Henri Matisse
I’ve often heard it said that creativity can have a positive impact on your mental health, but what about the other way around?
Having depression and social anxiety, I dove into research for this blog post and was surprised by the results. I should preface this by saying, it was just a quick google search to see what kind of results it would bring back. 90% of the results it did return talked about how creativity helps relieve anxiety and depression, and how to tap into your creativity to improve your mental health and wellbeing. But I was hard-pressed to find an article that addressed the issue of what to do when your creativity drops because of your mental health.
The more I thought about it the more I couldn’t understand why it was being addressed one way, but not the other. It was my husband who pointed out what I had failed to see. “Wouldn’t you just take care of your mental health first? Shouldn’t that lead into the other?” *Insert facepalm here* Seriously!? That should have been the obvious solution. The logical one. But my brain couldn’t get there on its own. Usually, I would berate myself and just completely break myself down for not realizing that there was an obvious answer to that question, but in the last couple of weeks, I’ve been learning to go easy on myself. Neither of us is having an easy time right now with the way the world is.
Last week, when Dr. Bonnie Henry adjusted the rules again with an expected end date of Dec 7th, I was at the Staples Studio with a friend and completely broke down. The week before, my mental health had taken a nose dive and I had just barely crawled myself up again, and now with the added restrictions, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to survive the rest of the year. For the purpose of this blog and to put it into context, I’ve struggled with self-harm in the past from the time I was 12 until my early 20s. I was afraid that if, or when, my mental health took another dive during those two weeks, would I be able to resist going back to old ways of coping?
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change.” – Brene Brown.
My mom and husband used to ask me why I would put so much ink on my skin. I’ll tell you what I told them. My tattoos serve two purposes. One, to cover up my scars, and two, I get tattoos so that I won’t self-harm. I know this blog might be a bit too vulnerable for some to read, but it’s taken me a long time to be able to talk about my struggles with mental health. And I believe that if we aren’t willing to talk about it then we’re not really moving towards stopping the stigma around it. We can keep educating people about the statistics and ask them to be understanding, but if we’re not willing to be at least a little vulnerable then can there really be change?
“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation.” – Glenn Close
After calling up my tattoo artist and making an appointment for December, I realized that in the last ten years I’ve learned other ways of dealing with my depression and anxiety. What I needed to do was go easy on myself. If the only thing I did that day was get out of bed, then that was okay. I also had to take time for myself each day and put myself first. That was a hard one because I’m such a people pleaser. I have this fear that if I say no to someone, they will hate me. Even at the risk of my mental health and wellbeing, I’ll put everything aside to help them.
Self-care is much more important now than it’s ever been. The things we were used to doing for self-care have been drastically reduced or canceled (traveling, getting our hair and nails done, visiting friends and family, attending a fitness class, having an in-person session with our counselor, etc.) and it’s affecting us drastically. We were made for community not isolation from each other. So, I came up with a list of all the things I’ve been doing for self-care over the last several months. I thought I would share five of the things that have helped me. You’ve probably already heard some of these before, and if not then I hope you find a couple that will help you.
- Take a Social Media break
I know for a lot of people this will be the hardest thing to do because we already feel so isolated from each other, but it’s important to give yourself that break. Since March all of my social media accounts have been flooded with COVID-19 related articles, memes, and the ever-changing rules, as well as people arguing with each other, and just general hate towards each other. Add the past US Election on top of it and it was a lot. It was overwhelming. Especially because I tend to take on other people’s emotions (yay for being an empath).
- Have a bath
Take 10 minutes and lock yourself away in your bathroom. Add a bubble bar from Lush or some essential oils, and a glass of wine (or your favourite non-alcoholic drink), and take the time to relax and clear your mind. Even taking just a few minutes a day to spend with yourself will make the world of a difference. I’ll even bring my kindle in the bath with me. Which brings me to my next point.
- Read a book (not a textbook!)
I find reading very relaxing. It’s also one of the many ways I find can refuel my creativity with new story ideas or even just help clear my head after a busy day. Getting lost in a fictional world for however long can is great for relieving any anxiety one might be feeling about the day or an upcoming event. The one positive thing that’s come out of COVID for me is I was able to put a sizeable dent in my to be read pile. I’ve also added a lot to it because of other’s recommendations whether from friends, family, or BookTok.
- Get more sleep
My trainer keeps trying to hammer this into me and I think it’s finally beginning to stick. Working graveyard shifts, my sleep was, and sometimes still is, all over the place. It was never something that was a priority for me because I always had something that needed to get done. I’ve noticed that whenever I deprive myself of sleep, my anxiety and depression get worse. According to the CDC, we should be getting between 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Lately, I’ve been making more of an effort to not look at my phone or be on my computer for at least 20-30 minutes before I want to go to bed and I’m finding that on those nights, I get better-quality sleep.
- Go for a walk / Get fresh air
When I find my creativity waning or even just non-existent, taking a walk to get fresh air is a huge help! Sometimes that spark of creativity can be found in nature or just walking around your neighbourhood. Try going downtown, sitting on a bench, and people watch for a bit.
I would love to hear some of the things you’ve been doing to help get you through this year 🙂