How to Boost Your Creativity and Lessen Stress in the Workplace
Somedays it may seem like your creativity flows like a faucet, while other days you feel completely zapped. The back and forth motion of the creative process can be frustrating, to say the least. Fortunately, there are a few ways you can get back on track. Stress can be a big reason why you are feeling mentally blocked, so it’s important that you find ways to eliminate it. Also, routinely practicing mental fitness exercises is a great way to improve and stimulate your ability to think clearly. Here are a few tips and exercises you can begin implementing today!
Listen to a guided meditation
A guided meditation is a mental exercise where you meditate under the instruction of a trained practitioner by way of video or voice recording. Guided meditations are exceptional because they require little space and you can enjoy listening to one right at your desk! As you listen, you will effortlessly glide into the depths of your subconscious mind, where raw, creative energy resides. As your mind slows down, you create the space for clutter to leave and creativity to flow in. Practicing meditation calms the adrenals, which relieves them from creating an overabundance of adrenaline and cortisol, which are the stress hormones. Make it a habit to listen to a guided meditation daily in order to rid of stress and keep your mind clear.
Affirmations
When you are on the downside of the creative process, you may begin to talk to yourself in a negative tone. When you self depreciate, you are making it nearly impossible to climb out of the hole, which keeps you even further from being open to creativity. Using affirmations can help pull you out of your funk by purifying your thoughts and rewiring the dynamic of your brain. Affirmations are short phrases or sentences that provide inspiration, energy and motivation. Repeat positive affirmations daily such as “Creative energy flows through me and leads me to brilliant ideas!” Write a few positive affirmations on post-it notes and stick them on your desk or computer screen. Everyday you read those affirmations you are planting seeds of positivity into your subconscious, which will change your belief pattern, eliminate stress, and enhance your creativity.
Honor your body
You may believe that what you put into your body has nothing to do with the creative process or coping with stress at work, but you are mistaken. Stress in the workplace can lead to a multitude of bad habits such as binge eating or consuming more than a few alcoholic beverages daily. While drinking or overeating can provide relief in the moment, you are really setting yourself up for more problems. Being sluggish from binge eating, or hungover from a night of drinking will negatively impact your work performance tremendously. Your mind will be clouded which will hinder the creative process and make you unproductive. Instead of continuing down this less than desireable path, train yourself to opt for better choices. To decompress from a rough day at the office, take a hot candlelit bath. Learn to eat healthier by filling yourself with green, leafy foods that nourish your body and give you energy. Treating your body with the utmost care will sharpen your mind, which will indeed lessen your stress and boost your creativity.
Creative blocks and stress in the workplace and home are inevitable. Instead of allowing yourself to become overwhelmed, be proactive! Start incorporating these mental exercises into your daily routine and get into the habit of choosing better ways to cope with your stress. Soon you will notice a positive change in your work performance and your overall health!