Curious about self-care through creativity? There is a lot of talk about self-care these days. It is easy to get caught up in caring for others and forget to take the time to care for ourselves. We might think of taking the time to care for ourselves as a luxury we cannot afford. The reality is that we need to care for ourselves in order to care for others. Self-care is not an indulgence, it is something you do that is restorative, relaxing and or energizing for you. Self-care consists of activities that promote your well-being and improve your health. The good news is that using your creativity is one of those activities.
Exercising or using your creativity is an activity that you might find restorative, relaxing and or energizing. One of my motivations for beginning this blog was to help others be creative and use their creativity as a way to care for themselves. Using your creativity or applying your creativity can boost your general feeling of well being and help to restore you so you can address the challenges we all face everyday.
Strategies for Self-Care through Creativity
Below are 6 strategies for using your creativity to care for yourself. As a resource for my readers, I have created Pinterest boards about many of the creative pursuits mentioned below.
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Find a Soothing Creative Pursuit
The first strategy for self-care through creativity is to try a creative pursuit that is repetitive. You might find the repetition of a creative activity like knitting or crochet soothing. I find weaving soothing, which might be obvious from this post about weaving a buffalo check pumpkin. If you are interested in learning about knitting, loom knitting or crochet, the YouTube channel Good Knit Kisses is a great resource. If you are not interested in crafting with yarn, try doodling patterns or Zentangle. In addition to being self-soothing, it has many other benefits and you just need a pen and a piece of blank paper to get started.
Click HERE for a great resource on getting started doodling patterns.
Two for One: Create for others
If doing self-care through creativity just for yourself is not for you, use your creativity to care for someone else. You may find creating something for others is an energizing way to both care for yourself and others. There are numerous gifts that can be handmade or you can donate what you make to a charity. Many people make candles, soap, personal care products, seasoning mixes or pillows for gifts. Personalized gifts (gifts with a monogram or the recipient’s name) are something people appreciate and that is a touch you can use your creativity to add.
Click HERE for a great list of ideas for DIY gifts.
Use a Creative Activity to Focus
You might find that focusing on a creative activity takes your mind off your troubles for a bit and restores you. Lisa at Hand Lettered Design is passionate about combing mindfulness and lettering. Adult coloring books are very popular for this reason. An easy way to get started with creativity that also only requires a pen, and a piece of blank paper is faux calligraphy. Faux calligraphy is a way to draw letters that look like they were made with expensive brush pens!
Click HERE to learn more about faux calligraphy.
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Get a Confidence Boost: Learn a new skill
For self-care through creativity to be effective, you need to find a creative pursuit that brings you joy. There are lots of ways to learn new skills these days. There are still the traditional ones; take a class a local art center or your local library, find a craft guild that provides instruction or seek out a local expert. You can also find out how to do just about anything by searching the internet. There are a number of sites that offer courses at a cost but there is also a great deal of free instruction available too.
You might find figuring out how to do a DIY project a confidence booster. Do you have a piece of furniture that you would like to refinish or a home remodeling project you have been hoping to complete? Use the resources available on the internet to figure out how.
Check off a “To Do” and be creative too
You might incorporate using your creativity to accomplish another goal such as designing labels for an organization project and be energized by completing a long overdue chore. Do you have a project that might be a bit more fun if you used it as an opportunity to be creative? Here are some links, if one of the projects on your list is organizing your spices.
Click HERE to check out a pin on printable spice jar labels.
Click HERE to check out a pin on making labels using a Cricut.
Connect with others, Create together
You might gather with a group that enjoys the same creative activity, assist one another and socialize while creating. Socializing can be another form of self-care. One Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law and I decided we weren’t going to cook. We ordered food from a restaurant and spent the afternoon crafting while the guys watched football. She gathered all the supplies that we needed to make a simple pizza pan sign. It was a lot of fun. But you don’t have to wait for a special occasion, you can check with your crafting friends and host a craft night.
Planning for Self-Care through Creativity
Another important aspect of self-care is that it should be done regularly and many self-care experts suggest making a plan to ensure that you take care of yourself. Creativity is a way to address our mental, emotion or spiritual health. It is also important to include rest, exercise and healthy eating in a self-care plan. I will be posting more on planning for self-care soon. In the meantime, please check out the Self-Care through Creativity Planner in my Etsy Shop.
These are such great ways to bring in self-care through creativity. For me, being creative is a huge piece of my self-care routine.
Thank you for your comment. I have recently realized this about myself and think it is very important.
Oh I love this! Im an active relaxer… and even blogging makes me feel calm!
Love this, there is so much value in being creative. Good for the mind, soul and for making connections. Thanks for sharing, great post!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the post!