How To Stay Sane and Creative During Difficult Times

With anxiety and uncertainty high, it’s hard sometimes to buckle down and do what we need or even want to do. No amount of time management and expertise in productivity can consistently and systematically solve the weight of the world falling on our shoulders. In this article, Marina, who’s also the founder of Presence Healing will explore some ways and creative outlets that could help in those times when not much else is working.

1. Go where the wind is blowing
2. Only do what feels most gratifying
3. Give more time to your humanness
4. Change things up 
5. Get more physical

Go Where the Wind is Blowing

Sometimes, the easiest thing to do is to let go of the wheel and let the road take you where it wants you to go. Or stand on top of the mountain, metaphorically speaking, and see where the wind is blowing. You can tell where it’s blowing in the following ways:

• Where’s your attention wanting to go? 
• Where’s your body wanting to go or what does it want to do?
• What’s showing up in your experience right now? What’s knocking on the door? 
• What’s being asked of you from either the outside or inside of you?

Don’t fight where the wind is blowing. Go with the flow and see how much easier things suddenly get. Allow everything to be as it is. See what resonates with you:

• Let your body be your guide. What does it want right now? Does it want to walk or simply sit and watch or observe? Is it craving something in particular? Is it moving in a specific direction? Go there…
• Let your heart be your guide. What feels absolutely right at this moment? What will make your heart sing? What are you in the mood for? Do what you’re most in the mood for…
• Let your gut be your guide. What’s giving you a punch or a tickle right in the belly? What’s your gut telling you to move toward? Where is it telling you to go? Follow what you already know is true for you…

*Notice how I did not include your head as one of the body parts for guidance. Our brains are at best tools we can use to supplement what’s already happening. Moving with the flow, however, will not come from the head, but from the intelligence of the other aspects of our body. When you tune in, it’ll do the rest of the work for you.   

Only Do What Feels Most Gratifying

Forget about what you have to do or what you think you should do, simply do what sounds like the most interesting thing you could be doing. Even if that thing has nothing to do with your day-to-day life or responsibilities. Even if you won’t make any money on it. Even if no one will ever see it or you doing this thing. Do it for the hell of it. 

If you know what it is for you, go for it. If you’re looking for specific creative outlets or some way to fill the time, below are some suggestions. Feel free to make up variations to these at will.

Examples of Creative Outlets

1. Try drawing or painting. It doesn’t have to be good. Just put some colors on paper and swish the brush around. You can draw the image that pops into your head or choose a specific object or subject and let it inspire your art.
2. Write a song or a poem. Again, this is not a competition, so let those rhymes flow. If you play an instrument, give the words a tune or even just a lick or a riff. If you don’t know how to play an instrument, consider picking one up. The subject for your song or poem could be anything from what you’re feeling, to what you’re seeing, to a random story.
3. Take pictures of interesting things. Spend some time walking outside and taking pictures of anything and everything that strikes you. 
4. Start a craft project like building a piece of furniture or sewing a dress. If you’re not crafty by nature, pull up a YouTube video and follow along.
5. Write a book (short or long). It could be a memoir or completely fictitious or about nothing at all. It could be a detailed description of how you’re spending each and every day being quarantined. 
6. Do a scrapbook or a vision board. Sometimes picking up those scissors and gluing stuff down can quite fulfilling like being back in grade school. You can use personal pictures or random magazine cutouts. Use what feels more gratifying.
7. Cook to your heart’s content. Make your favorite dish or something you haven’t made in a while or try something new. If you’re not much of a cook, try it now. Mix those ingredients and see what happens. If you just haven’t got a clue, pull up a YouTube tutorial.

Give More Time to Your Humanness

Our modern life is so busy and results-oriented that we forget that we’re simply human. And as a simple human what we truly crave are simple joys. We are bombarded by media, televisions, computers, and of course, our beloved phones. As such, we don’t give our poor brains a break from constant stimulation. We’ve forgotten who we are. 

What are these simple joys that we forget about?

• Taking a walk in nature.
• Contemplating the nature of being.
• Reading an actual, physical book. (Preferably something that calms the mind like Walden and not a thriller.)
• Watching a sunset.
• Sitting and doing nothing.
• Talking to friends. 
• Noticing your surroundings: sounds, lights, textures.
• Scratching, stretching, yawning, etc and that’s all. (Watch a pet for guidance)

Change Things Up

Being quarantined does not mean being stoic. Let’s remember that we are not grounded or punished in any way, so let’s not act like we are. I, myself, am guilty of this from time to time. Even if we should stay at home for prolonged periods of time, we could change things up within our limitations. 

Here are some ideas for shaking things up:

• Re-arrange the furniture.
• Start a housing or gardening project.
• Go for a walk or hike in a different area. 
• Have your meals in a different part of the house (could be as simple as another side of the room.
• Go on a cleaning spree.
• Have dinner with friends over video conference. 
• Do drive-bys to see family and friends, even if just to give a wave while parked across the street.
• Try a new activity that you’d never even thought of before, like bird watching.

Get More Physical

Nothing releases those happy endorphins better than exercise. Our bodies are built for moving. Keep that body moving as often as possible. Since many of us are not required to drive to work these days or go place to place, we have to create more opportunities to keep moving. One half-hour walk a day may not be enough if the rest of the time we’re hardly moving. 

Here are some ideas for getting more physical:

• Get up from the desk or the couch every hour at least even if just to walk across the room. Set a timer if you have to.
• Pick stuff up. Even if you keep your house sparklin’ clean, find made up chores like dropping some socks occasionally so that you could have something to pick up later.
• Clean house. You don’t need to be a clean freak in order to use cleaning as one of your physical activities. 
• Add an extra ten, twenty, thirty minutes to your typical exercise regime. 
• If an option, make love more often.
• If you have a pet or a kid, play with them more often. 
• Dance or jump for no reason.

Contributed by the Founder of Presence Healing, Marina Gutman. She is a minister and holds a degree in Psychology. She offers advice on her website and in one-on-one sessions on inner peace and empowerment to help undo beliefs that don’t serve your well-being. See Presence Healing website for more details: PresenceHealing.org