{ Book extract from Tonics For Your Creative Spirit } 

Fun, creative activities may not be the obvious place to begin if you’re looking to improve your health and wellness, but learning to access and express your inner artist can be surprisingly beneficial.

Contrary to the cliches of the tortured writer or the need to suffer for your art, creative expression can actually be a fun and inspiring way to enjoying more vitality, confidence, and fulfilment.

It can be a tonic for every aspect of your wellbeing; physical, emotional and spiritual.

Physical wellness

Creative expression is energising. When you make room in your life for a creative practice that you love, you’ll feel the benefits.

The inner calm and enjoyment of being in the flow state have positive and lasting effects on your nervous system. According to Medical News Today, being absorbed in your favourite creative activities can reduce stress levels, slow down the ageing process, and boost the immune system.

An article on Forbes.com entitled Here’s How Creativity Actually Improves Your Health summarised that ‘engaging in creative behaviors improves brain function, mental health, and physical health.’

A  stronger connection to your creative self also helps you become more attuned to your body’s messages and wisdom. This will lead you to naturally make healthier, more nourishing choices.

Emotional wellness

Being creative simply feels good!

Creative expression can be uplifting, energising and revitalising – stimulating the biochemistry that makes you feel more positive about life in general.

Expressing your creativity also improves self-esteem, and feeling competent and accomplished has healthful benefits.

As Dr Sue Morter shares in her inspiring book, The Energy Codes, ‘The vibrational frequencies of our emotions will have a direct impact on our physical bodies or health.’

Spiritual wellness

The word ‘inspired’ originates from the idea that inspiration is your spirit flowing to you and through you.

So, being creative in a way that thrills and delights you is an expression of this essential life force, your true spirit.

In this way, a creative practice can be a boost to your spiritual wellbeing, a way to access the benefits of making space for your spiritual nature.

How to begin a Creative Wellness Practice

If you’re ready to play with creativity as a route to a healthier, happier you, here are three ways to begin: 

1. Express yourself

Begin tuning into the call of your creative spirit in expressing your preferences, delights and inner promptings.

Where would you like to express more of your unique voice and personality? Perhaps in your home, your wardrobe or work projects?

You don’t need to take bold or immediate action – just begin to notice how you’d love to express yourself more often and more joyfully. Awareness alone can be a powerful catalyst for positive change.

2. Creative practice

Is there something creative you could do on a regular basis?

Just a few minutes a day is enough to reconnect to your creative side and all those lovely benefits.

Maybe you could journal as part of your morning routine. (Creativity expert Julia Cameron claims these Morning Pages are highly therapeutic.)

Or perhaps you could spend your dinner hour with your notebook or sketchbook.

Or dig out that musical instrument or project you keep wishing you had time for – when you begin to explore your creative side with enthusiasm and excitement, you’ll be amazed how you mysteriously find time for it in your routine.

3. Enjoy the process

Spend some time creating just for fun, without agenda or concern for the end result – just free play for grown-ups.

Plan ahead if you have some ideas that you’d like to explore. Or just use your intuition and ask; What would be fun to create?

It may be a personal blog, a sculpture for your garden, an elaborate meal, a photo journal or something beautiful for your home.

This is creativity for the sheer pleasure (and benefits) of expression and it can be just for you, no need to worry about judgment or criticism.

In a creative wellness practice, the end result is less important than how much you enjoy the process, so feel free to do whatever soothes your soul or makes your heart sing.

• • •

If you’d like to harness the health and wellness benefits of creative expression, give some thought to how you could incorporate more creativity and expression into your life and your daily routine.

As an extra incentive, remember that being creative not only kick-starts its own lovely health benefits, it also provides more energy and confidence to support your health goals in other areas.

So, your new practice of more joyful creative expression can become a truly powerful ally in your wellness journey.

And when you value and prioritise this expression in the name of good health, the positive side-effects serve as a powerful tonic for your creative life, too.

PS If you’d like more musings on the link between creativity and wellness, please help yourself to the Free Samples at my virtual retreat, The Muse Spa. 

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