Getting creative and boosting your wellbeing
Thank you to Lisa from the Lancashire Mind Operations team, who has written a blog about what's helping her through lockdown
They say necessity is the mother of all invention and creativity is the mother of innovation. To me creativity is the mother of my emotional wellbeing. A bit of a cheesy statement but true none the less.
During these strange and difficult times, its more important now more then ever to look after your wellbeing. I'm sure you have all heard this said many times before but sometimes this can be a difficult rule to follow. We have a habit of looking after everyone around us and sometimes forget to take care of our own wellbeing.
For me the best way to boost my mood is to get crafting! There have been times and will be more times in the future where I've just had an awful day, where I have felt depression, days where my anxiety levels are through the roof. These are the days where I make sure to try a little craft project, by the end of the project I see a noticeable and very positive difference in my mood.
It's something everyone can do and you definitely do not need to have any arty skills. There's no need to aspire to be the next famous artist or author or to make something perfect. On the days where I recognise the signs of poor mental wellbeing and low mood, I ensure I pour all the negative feelings and everything I can't control in to a little task like writing a short a poem, having a go at a little sketch or just putting paint on paper. Taking the focus away from my repetitive negative thoughts and feelings and turning it into positive energy.
Thankfully, there’s lots of ways to reap the benefits of arts and crafts without leaving the house. My personal favourite is attempting to follow painting for beginners tutorials available on you tube. When I say attempting, what I actually mean is having a go and sploshing paint all over my paper.
I also recently attempted to make a dream catcher with some string, spare buttons and a wire coat-hanger. Who says crafts are just for kids. No matter what we do, looking after your wellbeing is just as important as looking after your physical health so why not try to have some fun while doing it, it's all about boosting your own wellbeing!
The team at Lancashire Mind would be delighted to hear of your craft ideas, which could be helpful to others who are perhaps struggling to cope at home or with changes with their routines.
Take care,
Lisa