”The one who falls and gets back up is much stronger than the one who never fell.”

It’s easy to lose sight of creativity when things don’t happen as quickly as hoped for. You don’t see any results, something negative happened, or maybe you wake up one morning feeling unmotivated for no particular reason. In these situations it’s even more important that you hold on to hope, and try to see the moment for what it is – a moment to reflect, and recharge. Getting back into your groove again.

One crucial thing to bear in mind when going through times feeling uninspired and unmotivated, is to accept your feelings. Don’t take them too seriously, since they are temporarily, and you don’t need to invite them in for tea – keep the door open.

Don’t push yourself to feel a certain way, to be something you’re not. The lack of motivation is only a phase, and sometimes the only thing you can do is to breathe a little deeper, and take a step back. Even nature slows down during winter.

And yes, this might make you feel frustrated, trying everything, in order to get your creativity and motivation back. This might work for some, or in some situations, however, for others it can slow down the process. Making it even harder to bounce back.

It can seem as a slow process, nevertheless, quitting won’t speed it up. Taking a step back is not quitting – to get out of your own head can actually free up space for new creative ideas to enter. Don’t fight your current state of mind, accept things for what they are – face them, and embrace them.

Below you’ll find 8 ways that hopefully can be seen as approaches, in order to help you get into your creative flow again.

Clean.

I find cleaning to be extremely therapeutic.

Whenever I feel unmotivated and uninspired it usually helps a lot to either rearrange things in the apartment, or to get rid of junk I don’t need. When things are neat and tidy around me I feel refreshed, and ready to get on with my day. It’s like my mind feel anew as soon as my apartment is fresh and clean. When there are no distractions laying around I can concentrate more easily.

   Connect with nature.

Take time to cherish nature.

There is nothing more relaxing and rejuvenating than observing nature. Finding stillness while hiking in the forest, being in the mountains or watching the ocean, will do wonders for your entire being. Escaping the real world for a couple of hours, or even days, might boost your creativity, and feed it with new flourishing insights. I find nature to be one of my biggest teachers; the way she’s always exactly where she should be. I love the serenity, the richness and wisdom she provides. I love watching snow falling, flowers blooming, leaves turning red. Simply allowing myself to flow with the breath of life.

Listen to music.

Music – medicine for the soul.

Whenever I need a creativity boost I listen to my favorite playlist, and more often that not it puts me in the right mood. Feel tired & moody? Play your absolute favorite song and dance like no one is watching. I promise you, it will help you reconnect with yourself, and in no time you’ll feel 100 % yourself again. Dancing is actually a great way to get rid of deeply stored emotions – let the music guide you home.

Free yourself from distractions

You don’t have to look far, you just have to look within.

It’s easy to fall into the belief that we grow strength by being around encouraging people, not to mention receive love by getting it from other people. And while it’s truly important for us humans to feel connected, loved and encouraged, you need to bear in mind that, in the end, you know yourself best – you know what you need, what you seek. Never expect anything from anyone. Love, confidence and trust is something that is built within. You can’t control what other people think or say about you, and you can’t control every circumstance in your life. However, (and I say it all the time) you can control how you respond to other people, and to the situations brought to you in your life.

And while it’s important to be inspired by fellow humans, you have to remember that within yourself there’s a limitless creativity, and it’s available any time you need. By being still, and taking time to listen, you’ll find that all the answers you seek is closer than you think.

Travel.

A foreign country – a change of scenery at its best.

I love a crowded market place, a foreign country, conversations I don’t understand, however, I read faces, I read eyes. I would actually love to be able to travel more, since travelling is easily one of the best ways to spark the creativity. Being in a new country, meeting people you haven’t met before, listening to words you don’t know the meaning of – things that make this life worth living. New places always spark something within my soul. Even though I’m an introvert and appreciate my own time, I’ve always been excited by foreign countries and languages, as they make me come even more alive.

Listen to podcasts & read books.

I love reading, while it calms both my mind and soul.

When out and about I usually listen to an inspiring podcast. My favorite at the moment is Jay Shetty’s On Purpose – strongly recommend this one, as he seems to be such an amazing human, and always find such great people to interview.

My main creative outlet is writing, and at whatever time I need to find some new inspiration I read a few chapters from one of my most favored books. I strongly believe in the importance of finding my own voice, however, at times it might be good to read something completely different from what you’re used to, as to spice things up, and let new ideas flourish.

Free writing.

Write about everything, and nothing.

If you’re one of those who suffers from writers block, and writing is your job, then I would advise you to just write. Put down all of your thoughts on a piece of paper. It doesn’t have to be great – get rid of the pressure of having to constantly deliver something awesome all the time. However, many times when we get rid of stress, and stop being so hard on ourselves, things start to work with us, rather than against us. Move with it, flow with your feelings, with the words coming out, and embrace the state you’re in. Taste the words, read them out loud, let them speak to your soul.

Try something new.

Spice up your life by making small adjustments.

Wake up one hour earlier every morning, try out a new hobby, meet up with a friend you haven’t seen in a while, read a book instead of watching a movie, try out new foods, or take a different route to school or work. These tiny things might not end up having the greatest impact in your life, but changing up your habits can keep you from getting into a rut.

I tried pole dancing for the first time yesterday. It was much harder than what I’d expected. I thought I was strong, but oh I was wrong… Nevertheless, it was just what I needed. Now I’ve promised myself that I need to try something new more often, life easily gets boring if we keep on doing the same things all over again.

With this being said, what if the problem sometimes is that we try too hard? Wanting everything to be perfect all the time. What if, we just took the pressure off our shoulders, and instead started to flow with life? Personally, I get off track when I start thinking what everyone else is doing. As soon as I become aware where my thoughts are heading, I try to redirect my focus inwards. What do I want? What do I need? What are my greatest inspirations?

I think it’s of utmost importance that we don’t become afraid of the silence. Of not always having the answers, and being ok with that. Life can take any direction, and as a result, we have no idea what tomorrow will bring. We can plan ahead, just to make ourselves feel comfortable, however, forcing something to come to us won’t make it come to us any sooner, rather, it moves us further away.

Sometimes the only thing we can do is to let go, and go with the flow. Remember to stay open, don’t close yourself down. Creativity will most likely hit you when you least expect it. And when it does, it will hit you hard.

❤

Linda