Creating is good for the Mind!
Downtime should rejuvenate our mind, body, and soul, but what does our downtime consist of? I will be the first to admit that too often, I reach for my phone to see what everyone else is doing or saying. I can easily get lost scrolling through social media, and realize I have not been rejuvenated, but end up feeling more drained than when I sat down to relax. Using social media to be inspired and encouraged is positive but when we begin to live vicariously through our social feeds it becomes a discouraging, comparison-driven battle ground.
I’m not saying that using social media is a bad thing. (Isn’t that where we are right now, lol?) I am speaking more about the excessive use of these tools and how we try to use them to unwind when, in fact, they might be having the opposite effect on our minds.
Rejuvenation can come when we move from consuming to creating.
Another way we often tend to relax is by binge-watching Netflix or movies, consuming what others have created. I’m also not saying that watching movies is bad. It can be a destresser, allowing us to fall into a made-up world, where we can leave real-life problems behind for a while. But when watching movies is our sole entertainment, and we never open a book to read, our minds become less active as much of the creative thinking has been done for us. We do not need to visualize scenes, and we lose some of our creative ability. In other words, too much of an okay thing can become a bad thing.
Rejuvenation can come when we move from consuming to creating. We are formed in the image of God, our creator, so we, too, were meant to create.
It doesn’t matter how well you create, or even what others think of your creation. It matters that you enjoy it and that it brings satisfaction to your soul.
I asked google what creating does for the mind and it agrees that “anything…that involves imaginative expression, can positively impact the brain by stimulating various regions, promoting cognitive flexibility, reducing stress…essentially helping to improve overall mental well-being…”
Creating keeps our minds healthy and can take many different forms:
baking a batch of brownies,
making a delicious meal for the family,
decorating a cozy home,
arranging flowers in a vase,
carving something from a piece of wood,
writing words on paper,
playing an instrument,
singing,
painting a sunset,
snapping a beautiful photo,
digging a flower bed,
or piecing a quilt, just to name a few.
It doesn’t matter how well you create, or even what others think of your creation. It matters that you enjoy it and that it brings satisfaction to your soul.
I daresay it has kept anxiety and depression at bay for many people.
What do you enjoy creating?
