Keeping a positive mindset through thick and thin - focus on something you enjoy doing

Due to that unfriendly little v that is disrupting the world we live in, taking responsibility and looking after ourselves and our families means that for some months, maybe more, we are all going to have to change our habits - and that probably means that we could have a lot of time on our hands, time to watch the news feeds (please, dear L, NO) - or does it? The key, my mind tells me, is that in this interim period it would be good for us to focus this new "spare" time on doing things (possibly alone, probably at home, maybe not) that we used to enjoy (pre mass TV, pre internet) or still enjoy (if we think about it), activities that bring a smile, a sense of peace, and a sense of positivity to our lives. If you think it wasn't so very long ago, in our grandparent's generation, that using our hands and minds was what we all did in our spare time - even for me in 1989 in Romania we only had 2 hours of tv per weekday and 4 or so hours at the weekend - and no internet - so, guess what did we do then?

Perhaps it's not surprising then, because I love creating new things (that's my record I think you will agree), that these days I am doing my best to generate my own positive mindset, to forget what's going on in the world for a while. I turn to my pencils, pens, journals, paints, magazines, books, music or yoga mat to help me to escape the confusion of whatever others call reality AND I surround myself with colour and words, brushes and paints, sounds and stories - including the so so many stories from the past in the shape of movies and creative documentaries....often old ones as (in my opinion) they had way more story-telling substance than the new ones - we'll that's my view anyway. 

I would say this wouldn't I but I have found myself becoming my own customer - I've turned to my own creativity workbook "Be a creative explorer". Last week, I started to complete the third chapter of the book, March .... slowly, and in no particular order of workbook suggestions ... one day I lost myself colouring in the designs, another day I simply finished the drawings, then looked with excitement at my collage assignment and started to hunt for interesting images from my pile of magazines, then using glue I happily glued them on the pages, without much thinking, using my intuition ... then I finished off a workbook writing assignment (the one I asked us customers to write about people who influenced our lives) and, guess what, what a pleasure it was to remind myself of two particular people who really influenced my life ... my Russian teacher and my English teacher, my mentor and my friend .... so much of who I am today is because of them ..... 

 

And I love reading books, real ones, the ones I can touch and smell, not e-books. It's just the way I am, it's my normality,  and I hoped to influence you too to my way of thinking - each month section in my book I recommend a particular book as a good read. And what about using this newfound time for the journalling work-outs I suggested, writing by hand with a lovely pen, even a fountain pen, that feels as if it was born to tell stories. Writing by hand is something I believe in a lot because the emotional impact on us is very different as compared with typing on a keyboard.... writing by hand is soothing, increases creativity and deep thinking, and really does improve your mood and in time, your wellbeing.

So, for me, and perhaps for you, knowing that we are going to have to change our habits for a few months, why not travel back in time to the days we scribbled, coloured-in, made great collages that become ever more fascinating as each new image is stuck-in and you pat yourself on the back, broken only for hours at a time by the intensity of chapters of books you may have missed reading before. BECAUSE, knowing that there will be an end to that virus, keeping a positive mindset in the meantime, by letting my creativity workbook bring varied creative activities back into your life - or to open new creative horizons, will, I really believe, be good for you - and me. 

One last thing ... my creativity workbook invites you to .... be messy, forget about perfectionism, forget about writing beautifully, just write as it comes, simply blurt-out words that come to your mind and images and colours ... because to my way of thinking it is all about the JOURNEY and not about the RESULT. The result is your mindset, your inner peace, the hours of detachment from whatever you need to detach yourself from even if only for a few minutes. 

I created this workbook last autumn .... maybe it was meant to be. 

You can find "Be a creative explorer" on Amazon worldwide. 

 

Comments

[Angela Winbolt]

A lovely article Corina,
Being a creative person myself, i feel I need to return to the journey I started with you and dust off my brushes and start filling a canvas with love and hope for our future.
Fear is a powerful thing and If we want to hold onto our mental health we have to choose acceptance of 'what is' and be grateful of what resources we have to adapt to a different way of life for the foreseeable future.
I love socialising and it is a big part of my life, but with an elderly parent to keep an eye on I have to try to stay well whilst still going out in the fresh air to fill my lungs and inspire creativity from my surroundings,
Living so close to the sea I can go there and enjoy the elements, I feel blessed.
It appears our acceptance of what we have and not what we have not, is crucial to our wellbeing in these rather challenging times. Virtual Hug - Angela.