Share Let’s admit it: there are days that you find it difficult to create content because you either lack inspiration or you’re running out of creative juices. Don’t worry! It’s totally normal to be mentally depleted — or simply demotivated — at times.
The good news is that there are a number of ways for you to regain your awesome, creative self.
Before we delve deeper into ways to improve your creativity, we first have to correct the longstanding misconception that creativity is a gift only bestowed upon a chosen few.
Creativity lies within each of us, as it’s a skill that can be learned by anyone. You can be and become creative at any age with a little help from socialization, education, training — and even solitude.
In this blog post, we’re listing down three science-backed tips on how you can sharpen and improve your creativity. Read on to give a little spark to your fall days and become your best, most creative self yet!
Tip #1 to Improve your Creativity: Connect With Nature
By now, you probably know that being outdoors can reduce mental stress and anxiety. Who here hasn’t taken a leisurely (or not-so-leisurely) stroll in nature and instantly felt…better?
Well, turns out that being in nature really does clear and refresh your mind. Science itself has proven that!
In a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, walking in an urban green space for at least 25 minutes can help your brain be at ease and make it switch into autopilot mode. Being on autopilot is what sparks your awareness and fuels your imagination.
Over in Japan, scientists conducted an experiment where participants were assigned either a walk in a forest or in a heavily-urbanized center. The participants’ heart rates and blood pressure were measured, and they were asked to fill out forms about their moods and stress levels.
What did the results show?
It’s not surprising that those who were assigned a walk in the forest had significantly lower heart rates and higher heart rate variability, which indicates more relaxation and less stress. A walk in the woods also brought on better moods (think hanging around with cute puppies all day) and less anxiety (think namaste-ing your way through stress.)
It’s also not surprising that those who were assigned a walk in crowded city streets reported greater anxiety. Life ain’t easy for the city slickers!
Connecting with nature, hence, not only provides a good physical exercise, but also lends a helping hand to reduce your day-to-day stress — stress that’s most often acquired from crazy work hours and the nonstop daily grind.
In a 2012 study, scientists found that hikers who went on a four-day backpacking trip could solve significantly more puzzles compared to a group of people who were waiting to do the same hike.
So next time you feel burnt out, strap up those sneakers and do some light jogging in your favorite park, forest, beach, or other unspecified nature area.
An alternative is to go soul searching and just enjoy the sound of leaves crunching up beneath your feet, smell fresh rain on the grass, and move with branches swaying in the wind. Become one with nature to be truly immersed — and light up your creativity.
Tip #2 to Improve your Creativity: Meditate
There are times when you just don’t have the energy or means to go take a hike (both figuratively and literally) or even simply go to the great outdoors. If you live in the middle of a city, completely hidden from the woods, meditation is the next best course of action. It’s an easy and completely free way to recharge your mind and boost that good old creative gene of yours.
So what’s the benefit of meditating?
Meditation lets your mind become silent for a few precious moments. It gives your brain much-needed space and time to reflect and observe its surroundings and your day-to-day life. Meditation helps improve your concentration and focus.
Let’s get ~scientific~ here. Neuroscientists have found that it actually takes the entire brain — not only the right-hand part of it — to be creative. It has also been found that meditating helps out big time in accessing this kind of creativity.
So how do you even meditate?
Well, it’s actually pretty simple (or maybe just easier said than done…) Just close your eyes and focus on your breathing. The idea here is to deliberately pause in full awareness. That’s what gives your brain space to be creative.
You can meditate multiple times a day. Take a moment of solitude in between those Zoom calls, find a quiet corner, breathe in and breathe out — and just relax. This helps you ease those pesky overlapping ideas and create a placid pathway in your mind.
Tip #3 to Improve your Creativity: Just Move
If you’re the active type and you think meditation just can not and will not be your cup of tea (we’ve been there…), then this one may suit you best: get moving! Exercising, or even just the simple act of walking, helps release those precious, precious endorphins.
Endorphins are, of course, the chemicals that the human body produces to relieve pain and stress. We all know that exercising helps with stress, but that’s not its only mental benefit. Moving your body has been linked to increased and better performance in creative pursuits.
Perhaps the best thing about moving around is that it is, quite literally, very simple to do. You can move your body pretty much anywhere, even when you’re stuck at home during lockdowns.
So while the pandemic is not yet over (but we’re keeping our fingers crossed here!) and you’re (probably) among the millions around the world who are still working from home, you may want to schedule a home workout, stat.
These are just some of the steps to clear your crazy busy mind and sharpen your already out-of-this-world creativity. There are tons of other ways to improve your creativity, but these ones are scientifically proven, guaranteed, and tested. We’re totally giving out the so.fa.dog stamp of approval!