3 Ways to Jump-Start Your Creativity During Coronavirus

It’s no exaggeration to say that COVID-19 has changed our lives in dramatic, unexpected, and unwanted ways. People living with or vulnerable to a mental illness have been especially impacted, and now more than ever it’s important to have effective coping mechanisms to protect yourself during these unprecedented times. For centuries, people have turned to the arts and creative expression to manage or reduce symptoms of mental illness, and science is finally catching up to what we have always intuitively known — creating helps us feel better. Research suggests that artistic activities can help people manage anxiety and depression, express things too difficult to put into words (e.g., coping with a cancer diagnosis), process traumatic experiences, develop a more positive sense of self, and even improve immune system functioning (Cohut, 2018). While completing a project brings with it a sigh of relief and sense of accomplishment, the process of creating appears to be equally important and offers numerous benefits independent of a person’s skills or talents (Harvard Health Publishing, 2017). Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to create when you’re living in a pandemic. If you’re finding it difficult to be creative during COVID-19, please know that you’re not alone. It can feel impossible to connect with our imagination when our mind is consumed with ever-changing shelter-in-place orders, working from home, homeschooling children, worrying about our health, a...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Creativity General Self-Help coronavirus COVID-19 Source Type: blogs