Creativity when you’re running low

Creativity when you’re running low

When you are running on low it is hard to do anything. The bed to the sofa was the furthest I would walk in three days. My brain could only compute the basics as all the energy was being piled into getting rid of a tummy bug. I was running on empty, my mind, body and enthusiasm all flushed out by this microscopic beast.

Internally my programming was set to automatic, leaving me not really fully aware of what I was doing at any given time. My movements followed my instincts (and the demands of my children). As per usual with these things, I could tell I was getting better because I was becoming bored. My automatic mode found activities I was capable of doing before regular programming was rebooted. I knew I wouldn’t be running on low for long, yet the tasks I was unable to complete piled up along with the sadness.

The thing that surprised me the most at the time was that I missed being active. I craved being able to go out on a run, or complete a sweaty home workout. This isn’t me, yet somehow my inner me now identified as someone who exercises. It has become part of me and to remove it unwillingly didn’t go down well. Yet, upon reflection, something else that surprised me even more was that I didn’t stop being creative for very long. 

Whilst I initially became shock by the urge to move, I questioned why I didn’t have the urge to create. A slight element of mourning crept in as I began to believe my creative identity was slipping away. Then it struck me, I didn’t miss it because I barely stopped. It just looked different. 

Automatically Creative

My automatic brain had continued creative practices without me even clocking it, whilst the movement and exercise wasn’t yet so inbuilt, creativity is ingrained into me. It looked different to normal because my brain had adapted it so I could still experience the healing benefits of creativity without straining myself. 

To begin with the creative muscle only stretched by scrolling through Pinterest. I would spend time soaking in the beautiful designs, amusing sketches and out of this world drawings, all of which sparked joy and inspiration. It was thoroughly enjoyable as my busy work schedule recently had prevented me from having the time to pause in order to be inspired. 

It then moved onto gentle client work, I was thankful my client work at this time was mostly drawings. I could pop on a film or some music and draw away. My mind would wander and flow as I sat under a blanket on a chair surrounded by fluids and plain food. 

Then one day the full brain fog cleared and I had an itch to journal. So I journaled. 

Then I had the energy to craft, so I crafted. 

And on it went in this way. I thought nothing of it at the time, yet now I see how incredible that is. If we are all creative – which I strongly believe we are, as I’ve written about before – then we can all use creativity to help us when we’re running on low, whether that’s through physical or mental illness. For this to happen I think we need to work on it during our high times in order for it to become automatic in our low times.

Pause Box Review

Busy schedules make it really hard to plan ahead enough to try out new activities. Making the time to purchase all the individual items isn’t a time luxury I have. Packs are great, they are there and they get in the way so you can to do them! 

Recently I bought the Pause pack from Mind. At £7.50 with free postage and packaging I didn’t feel it was too steep, especially if it would bring a new creative task into my life. The bonus to this kit was that I wasn’t sure what the craft activity would be inside. There was something about this unknown that excited me.

The parcel arrived in good time, and it was a joy to open, everything was beautifully packaged, clearly with care. Along with a mini journal book and a guide to pausing and wellbeing, there was an origami kit. A mixture of curiosity and nerves struck me at the same time. Origami! I’m typically quite rubbish at origami.

However, this was about relaxing…and pausing. Casting the worries away I set about making an origami butterfly. 

The instructions were clear and simple. Although my mind kept rushing ahead, assuming what the next step would be, there was something about this kit that allowed me to capture my somewhat negative instincts and collect myself in order to focus on what was in front of me. 

There has only been one activity that has truly allowed me to focus in on the moment without a wandering mind, and that’s rock climbing. This, I would say, came in at a close second. Was there a moment I nearly gave up and rage quit? Yes, there was. Did I? No. I honestly cannot say how many times things have got me to really focus in before, but this did. 

Final thoughts

The Pause Box by Mind is a beautifully assembled box of joy. The product quality is great, with a variety of paper choices, all of which are beautiful. Once the craft was finished you can continue to make more thanks to the sturdy and simple instruction cards. There was no plastic packaging, which is a huge plus for us, and the journal takes the box away from crafting allowing you to develop a great writing journey too. 

I bought the one off box, however it markets itself as a subscription service, with a new box coming through your letterbox each month.

The one off box would make for a lovely treat for you, but it would actually be a lovely thing to send to a friend when they are running on low, whether that’s mentally or physically. I felt the activity level was at just the right spot, you felt mentally stimulated and engaged, yet it wasn’t taxing. It very much felt doable, and the dopamine hit at the end was beautiful. 

Here’s a link for it if you’d like to buy one: https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/donate-or-fundraise/pause-for-mind/