As I mentioned in the first Journal Yourself Stress-free e-retreat, I am not a natural journaler, to keep going, I need all the inspiration and motivation I can get. Journaling in nature, as we discussed in the last e-retreat, helps, and so does adding a bit of creativity.
For me, that means colouring in with coloured pens and pencils. Sometimes, you get everything ready to journal, and then you end up sitting there staring at the blank page. It happens. When it does, I do some colouring in. Just for a few minutes, as a mindfulness exercise, to focus my mind. On my Free Resources webpage, you’ll find the downloadable Mindful Moments: Meditative Colour Therapy Adult Stress-busting Colouring Book that I created especially for both my onsite retreat guests, to use while they are here on retreat.
Creativity can be a powerful and versatile problem-solving tool.
Quote
Elizabeth Gilbert said, “A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life” and a lot less stressful life too, I think. Journaling is in itself a creative process, adding drawing, painting, colouring or scrapbooking to it can enhance your problem-solving ability, which reduces your stress levels.
Affirmation
“As I journal, I release all Stress and Tension from my body and mind. In Creativity, I Find Calm and Clarity. My Creative Energy Transforms Stress into Inspiration.” Use this affirmation to recognize the transformative power of creative energy. Channelling stress into a creative pursuit can help you turn challenges into sources of inspiration and growth.
Prompt
Choose a choice or challenge that you are currently struggling with and write about it in detail. Allow yourself to express your emotions freely and without judgment. Explore how it makes you feel, how it impacts you, and any insights or lessons you can gain from it. Apply your creative problem-solving skills to find a solution to help you find a new solution.
5 minutes. Spend 5-10 minutes responding to this prompt in your notebook/journal and for accountability, you can share your response with me on my “Comments” Instagram post or with our Retreat to ReConnect community.
Action
Today, I challenge you to use your creativity to “make a difference” in someone else’s life. Or even in the lives of a group of people. You can, for example, create handmade, personalised gifts that are tailored to the person’s interests, hobbies, or needs. Or you can use your creative talents to express support, encouragement, or love through art. This could be through writing a poem, composing a song, or creating a picture that conveys an uplifting message. Or you could create handmade items to sell, with the proceeds going to a charity or cause that is meaningful to the person. Or you can offer to use your creative skills to help someone with a project or personal endeavour. This can be particularly impactful for people or small organisations with limited resources.
If you have time to read a bit more, I have written more than 100 blog posts (see below) to help you cope with the challenges that unexpected and unavoidable change can generate. Comments are always welcome.
Wishing you a stress-free day!
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