The Connection Between Well-Being And Creativity
It is said that a well-rested, peaceful mind is a creative mind. And not without reason.
When we allow our mind to be free relaxed and peaceful, we are creating a fertile ground for creativity and imagination to grow and soar.
The entire issue is that of keeping the mind still in an environment of dynamism, consumerism and ever-expanding content relayed to us. This is more pronounced with smartphones bringing the experience of bigger gadgets, multiple gizmos all in our pocket. You name it and the latest smartphone has it.
How then would you be able to sit still?
The answer lies in self-discipline, self-restraint and embracing of self-soothing activities.
Let's talk about self-discipline first. As school children we are taught by parents and teachers to follow a time table. But with passage of time these habits dissipate. Achievers retain these childhood habits lifelong. Sometimes, life's little good things make a large difference to the bigger success picture. Following a time table is one of these. A time table helps us stay organized and not be flown by any fascination we see around us which might be distracting.
Self-discipline is a must for keeping all aspects of our lives in growing mode, be it physical, emotional, mental or spiritual.
Next factor to be mindful of to ensure wellbeing is self-restraint. Distractions galore in a world full of choices and preferences. But a person looking to be creative must know his limit. Know how much exploration will help unfold & how much would be detrimental. Yes, it is important to know more of this world in order to be creative. But knowledge must not come at the cost of one's wellbeing. It is easy to be distracted if one goes on consuming endless information.
Thirdly, self-soothing activities such as meditation, mindfulness, yoga, tending to nature and sleeping well contribute immensely to helping one be at ease, let the mind relax and bathe in lasting well being.
Creativity is a symbol that the mind is functioning alive and well. It is like the extraction of juice from a fruit. The juice will taste delicious only if the fruit is ripe and the tree well nurtured. This analogy also holds good for human creativity and wellbeing.
Ideas and innovation happen when there's no agitation or conflict. And absence of any such dissonance would qualify to be called as well being.
In fact even medical science confirms that when our brain is devoid of stress, the creative centres in it get activated. But when it is fighting an emergency or conflict or is under some form of stress, it ceases to retain information, offer out of the box ideas or provide any valuable creative insights.
Another key area of creativity empowered by well being would be spending time close to nature. Our brain is meant to function Ideally in an atmosphere where there's natural harmony, fresh air, sound of birds, an organic ambience. Believe it or not there's something about nature's serenity which triggers the brain to be more creative.
No surprises then that many famous authors and innovators go camping in the wildlife or forests every few days. Many novelists even write majority of their pieces in the lap of nature. And they attest to the fact that they're their creative best when in the woods.
When the body, mind and spirit are in a natural equilibrium, all the energies are focused on giving an output which goes beyond the normal. Therein enters creativity and this is the inter connectedness of well being with being creative.
