How can creative endeavours help achieve mindfulness?
Creative endeavours are a great way to ease into the art of mindfulness. Being mindful and undertaking mindfulness practices is key in being able to help with regulation of emotions and stress reduction.
With a background in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming), I have dived deep into how perception creates experience and techniques to modify behaviour for improvement.
I would like to deliver some tips on mindfulness.
Meditation as a way of achieving mindfulness may not be for everyone. At least, at first. And hey, for the parents out there it’s not always an easy breezy transition to completely switch off and focus on your inner workings. Similarly, for those who are used to constant external stimulation, it may prove challenging to comfortably go straight into silence or meditation.
So if meditation isn’t quite for you, how else can you achieve that state of mindfulness? How can you improve your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing?
This is where I introduce you to creative outlets to bring about mindfulness…
Creativity allows you to freely express yourself authentically with non-judgement. I have always resonated with my drama buddies for their ability to let their guard down and ultimately create some of the best works in doing so. Drama is an outlet that can assist in stripping back your layers and energetic blocks, in order to identify more with your ‘authentic’ self. (We’ll get to this in another article).
LET’S SEIZE THE CLAY!
So let’s seize the clay (day), and move onto POTTERY!
Drama aside, pottery has become a new hobby of mine. Pottery is not just about the object I create, but what it has taught me about my wellbeing. What I have noticed more than anything is the expression of the mind-body connection.
On days of greater stress, it would show in my physiology. I would project more energy out onto my hands which would affect my pottery work. This is particularly noticeable when creating the mould. Too much pressure is prone to create a rather flimsy piece, which is undesirable for the trimming stage when you have to finesse the shape.
It has also taught me to not bring along any distractions when working on my pottery and to focus with ease. Being at ease, allows you to create with less tension, be in the moment and therefore avoid having any ‘off’ energy manifest by means of the work crumbling into pieces.
In fact pottery as a creative endeavour has helped bring about more mindfulness. It has served as a guide as to how I process and direct my energy. Being in such an environment, has facilitated my ability to create ‘space’ and observe the output of my thoughts. Which of course has a direct and tangible input into the activity being undertaken.
For those who find it difficult to meditate, you may very well be able to use this guide as a stepping stone to meditation.
TIPS
How do you pick creative endeavours as a stepping stone to achieve mindfulness?
- Write a list of 10 creative hobbies that you enjoy, or would like to engage in.
- On a scale of 1 to 10 write down those which you think or feel will bring you most ease. With 1 being ‘most ease’ and 10 being ‘least ease.’
- Will the hobby listed as number 1 bring you joy by partaking in it?
- If yes, then go ahead! We are treading lightly here by choosing an activity that will bring you the ‘most’ joy and keep you at ease. This will allow you to engage in the experience from a calm state.
- If no, then ask question no.3 for item number 2. (And so on and so forth).
Finally, I hope that your creative outlet of choice assists in experiencing the art of mindfulness.
Nala xx