Sure, you’ve heard of self-care: the act of looking after yourself, caring for yourself, prioritising yourself (and we’re now getting our head around it not being all about bubble baths and candles - although, that’s a start), but what is creative self-care?

Well, we are more recently becoming aware of the importance of creativity on the brain and our health. But there’s more studies coming out about the connection between creativity and happiness too.

When we allow ourselves the freedom to explore ideas, wander in nature, play games and create something we are giving ourselves permission to grow, adapt and even flourish.

But how often do you do this?

For me, taking five minutes to meditate with Insight Timer in the morning sets a tone for the rest of the day. I’m creating space - inviting my mind to start the day through a clear lens, no matter how I’m feeling, or how I’ve slept. A snap shot of where I am now…but flash-back to 2017, I was a second time mum in full-time work, and I’d never meditated. 

It wasn’t until a tsunami size wave of anxiety and stress hit me that year that I discovered meditation. But that was just one tool which felt tough to get going with. With a huge amount of help and support from medical professionals, to friends and family I began piecing things back together slowly. 

My experience was one of many - and my own curiosity about mental health and wellbeing grew bigger and bigger. I found myself talking non-stop about the stigma in workplaces, and became passionate about how we could create better working environments, improving outdated employee wellbeing programmes and initiatives - and moving away from tick-boxes that weren’t ticking any boxes. But that was an output, it was giving me purpose. 

But what about the input - what was going to fulfill me? 

How was I going to actively choose to look after myself moving forward? It was simple. I needed to explore what I needed to be me. 

Generating a list of ideas to fulfill my mind, nourish my body, nurture my heart and expand my soul was key. I needed to find “my thing”.

What I discovered was missing was ‘creativity’. 

On a practical level - I loved music, playing, listening to, dancing to, I wrote poetry, but rarely allowed myself to. I like art and crafting but often felt impatient or lacking in equipment or knowledge. And it was the one thing I had ignored for a long time.

But more than that, on a mental, philosophical and emotional level - I’d lost touch with my creative instinct. The inspiration, the excitement, the curiosity had gone.

I was left with a heavy feeling. I felt lost, uninspired and whilst I smiled, the spark inside me had gone. 

However, becoming aware of this, I could see what I needed to be me. And, as usual, when we become clear on what we need, that’s when opportunities appear. A friend shared a calligraphy class with me and, over several months, I discovered its therapy. Its ability to fulfill, nurture and nourish - with just a pen. Nothing fancy, no expensive equipment or big space or set up. Just me, some paper and a pen. It soon became “my thing”, and more, it became my sanctuary.

I soon noticed other benefits too. After each time I practiced calligraphy:

1. I was able to respond rather than react

2. I felt lighter, recharged and a renewed energy

3. New and exciting opportunities were appearing

4. I felt like I was in flow, adapting and aligning with the real me

5. Solutions were more accessible and obvious

There was a natural ebb and flow of emotions - but there was also a bounce. A playful spirit in my day. The dark cloud was lifting, that lost soul was dissipating and I began to notice joy in all the smallest things.

I was beginning to smile again. And I mean, smiling on the inside - that spark was back. I hadn’t felt that in a long time.

And it’s not just me. A recent study has shown that there really is a positive impact on subjective wellbeing.

The chicken and the egg…of course:

“As with most things in psychology, it's not entirely clear which came first - happiness or creativity. For every study showing that creativity enhances well-being, there is a study showing that well-being enhances creativity.” -Maili Tirel, trackinghappiness.com

In any case creativity can help boost your mood, improve your happiness and then open the spiral of happiness increasing your creativity too. Great, huh?

So how do we weave creativity into our self-care routine?

Perhaps you already have a good awareness of how you look after yourself. Let’s see.

Here’s a few questions to explore (with kindness):

1. Do you know what makes you feel good for your mind, body, heart and soul?

2. Do you connect with all five of your senses throughout your day/in your routines?

3. Do you actively and intentionally carry out these routines/rituals each day?

4. What do you do when you don’t? (How do you treat yourself if you don’t make time?)

Just notice and reflect. Perhaps the answers have presented some new ideas?

For me, and what I offer in my online Mindful Calligraphy Club, is this dialogue of curiosity, information and action. 

Creativity is the art of making and creating: this could be thinking creatively, or making visually and exploring physically. 

In the Club, we do ALL three. Plus a dose of essential reflection - the secret to growth.

Carving out time to look at what we need (individual action), sharing and reflecting on what’s working (collective clarity) and creating a routine that becomes your ritual.

How to start a self-care routine, and the secret to making it a ritual

The word routine feels clinical and like something you have to do. A ritual however, feels like something you’re devoted and committed to because you have a desire to carry it out. 

In any case, whichever you feel comfortable calling it: it comes down to creativity. 

If you haven’t noticed, creativity really is the foundation of everything we do: even from the moment you wake up, you’re curating your day. You’re making breakfast, choosing your outfit, planning your travel, having conversations, navigating challenges, sharing ideas, journeying through different spaces, temperatures and environments. It’s all you creating every moment.

On another level, you’re also picking up energetic signals, input and output, with every single connection you make throughout your day. You’re making, creating in every moment. This can be exhausting, and energising - depending on the connection and what else has impacted your day.

So what do we need to do? Here’s just a few ideas to get you thinking:

1. Your environment: sensory landscape - you can use my free download to consider all five senses as you build your sanctuary.

2. Your morning: prime yourself positively for the day ahead

3. Your evening: decompress from the day and enjoy time to be

You might even like to add in a separate bedtime routine to prepare for a great night's sleep.

Making it stick

For your morning, evening and bedtime rituals remember, we only ever really do things that meet a set of unconscious criteria. For us to action, and continue doing, tasks need to be:

• convenient

• sustainable

• enjoyable

Make sure you’re not creating something hard to access/expensive to buy, something that you can easily continue to do, even just a little each day, and something that is pleasurable, fun or calming and leaves you feeling good.

You can habit stack (or swap or build), you can also tune into formats that suit you best. Are you a visual, audible or kinesthetic learner? This could help when it comes to creating your ritual - to suit you.

Reflect - review - renew!

As important as everything above is, as life around us changes, and as we change, so do our interests, needs and therefore how we care for ourselves needs to change. Become comfortable with journaling or pausing to reflect on your self-care rituals, review if they are still working for you, and renew anything that needs changing.

Find out more about joining the Club here. Join me online or find an in-person workshop to kick-start your creativity and wellbeing.

For more about me visit: lauraletterslife.com/about or find me on Instagram @lauraletterslife