Over the last few months, we were stuck at our homes with no chance of going out. Doing everything from home has made some of us lazier and bored. Every day looks the same – no traveling, no going to a favorite restaurant, or just meeting up with friends; our lives have become mundane.
The impact of COVID-19 is vast on every part of our lives. The lack of new sensations and adventures can lower our creativity, the ability to imagine and solve problems. During these times, staying inventive can be a challenge. Below you can find some tips that hopefully will help you get through these challenging times.
Find New Hobbies to Enjoy
With more time, you can start doing things you have wanted for a while and acquire new skills. If you are interested in fashion, maybe it’s high time to make your own clothes or accessories? There are plenty of ways to do it. You can start by sewing by hand, buying a machine, starting to crochet, or use glue and glitter for headbands and earrings.
Whatever your interests, you can find a lot of aid on the Internet. If you like singing or voice acting, and you were thinking of recording audio at home, look for beginners’ guides that will help you set up a studio. You will not only have something to do in your free time, but you will be building new skills that may help you in later life. New activities will also benefit the development of the frontal cortex, which is responsible for many functions that contribute to creative thinking.
Start Taking Care of Your Body and Mind
Everyone knows that exercises are an excellent way to keep our body in shape, although not everyone is aware that physical effort also affects our brain. Research shows that those who exercise regularly perform better on creativity tests. The scientists noted that regular physical activity is associated with improved convergent and divergent thinking. The better they are developed, the easier it is to come up with new solutions for different problems. As you can see, it may benefit both your private and professional life.
The brain is a muscle, which is why it needs exercises to work better. If you don’t have the ability to change the environment, you can start by learning how to play again to find inspiration. Start doing some creativity exercises that require you to get out of your adult comfort zone. Maybe start observing people from your windows and try to come up with some crazy stories about their life?
When you go to bed, imagine your own world with various characters, places, and stories. You can exercise your prefrontal cortex by creating silly sentences and acronyms that will help you remember things. These actions will help you “rewire” your brain and gain new perspectives.
Be Aware of Your Emotions
Positive emotions broaden the mind, whereas negative emotions can affect your creativity both ways. When feeling angry or blue it is common that you can’t focus on anything other than yourself or the target of that anger. When you start to feel like this, try to calm down and harness negative emotions. If they are used properly, negative feelings can be a powerful creative force.
When you feel like you’re about to explode, try painting or sculpting. Doing something with your hands will help you capture your emotions in a physical realm. It should help you deal with them, and in between, you can create some spectacular art. According to a paper published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, people who reported experiencing extreme or intense emotions on a regular basis scored higher on creative capacity measures than those who simply reported feeling positive or negative emotions.
The tricky part is to get the balance right. You can’t let your emotions and passion take over. Maybe start by trying to calm yourself down on cue by meditating? It’s always better to have a safety switch.
Embrace Boredom
Even if we are sitting at home, we still can connect to the world outside. The Internet allows us to be everywhere we want and to have something to look at constantly. It’s harder just to be and do nothing. For some of us, boredom and lack of activity may be unthinkably bad, but it is proven that clearing your mind allows it to wander and solve problems. When a search for neural stimulation isn’t satisfied, our brain will try to deal with it by itself.
It’s crucial not to conflate boredom with relaxation. Meditation is not the best way here. If you want to get bored truly, try picking an activity that requires no concentration at all, like walking a familiar route or just sitting with your eyes closed (when you are not sleepy). Let your mind daydream.
Conclusion
For some of us, especially single ones, it’s hard to live in the new world order. Lack of nature and other people is bad for our health, both mental and physical. We have to become a little more egoistic and think of ourselves first. Take some time, get used to being alone and enjoy your own company.
All of the strategies presented above will hopefully help you spark some new ideas in times you need them the most. You may not realize how big of an impact it may have on your future life and its quality. Take care of yourself and your mind!
Founder Dinis Guarda
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