The Power of Creative Routines: How Small Creative Practices Can Reduce Stress

The thing about anxiety is that in order to keep it in check we seek safety, stability and predictability. One of the main ways we try to achieve this is by trying to control as many things as possible. As mothers we learn to balance control with the chaos. Routines, such as creative self-care practices, help ground us during our busy weeks and lives. It provides that safety, stability, and predictability we all secretly crave. When we feel safe we notice a decrease in stress levels as well. 
Creative Routines can be a great way to engage in control too. Let me explain. As we go building our creative self-care practices we find a time of day that feels best; a time were we can focus, minimize distractions, and find our creative flow. Then we set aside a predetermined amount of time; this doesn’t have to be hours to be beneficial, it can be as little as 10 to 15 minutes a day. We then move to choosing our preferred mediums for creation; paints, markers, clay, yarn, colored pencils, charcoal, beads, mixed media, etc. Lastly, we move to creating what moves us. Perhaps we focus on expression, venting or processing our day or experiences. Maybe you choose to use your time to explore and play with new art materials or a new way of using the materials. Creative practice gets to be whatever you want or need it to be, on any given day. 
Another element of anxiety is that it keeps us focused on the future and all the “what-if” scenarios. As mothers we can easily fall into this headspace and stay there for days on end. The issue with this way of thinking is that we end up feeling stressed and mentally drained most days. One of the major benefits of engaging in art making and a creative self-care practice is that it has the ability to keep us focused on the present and reduce cortisol levels; the way the materials smell, the way they feel as we drag them along the page, or the way they might even sound as we fill up our page or canvases. Art making has us engaging with our five senses, which is an element of engaging in a mindfulness practice, and keeps us present with our experiences. What this translates into is an inability to think of what we need to make for dinner, what load of laundry is in the dryer, if there is enough milk in the fridge…you see where I’m going with this. 
Stress and anxiety can have us feeling like we have no power to create change or feel accomplished. The art making process not only lowers our stress levels, allows us a sense of control over our environment and life, but also has the power to make us feel a sense of accomplishment. When you create something from nothing you find an increase in self-esteem and self-efficacy; these are tied to our sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. It’s the thought and experience, “I did that! I made that! I created that!” We always have a product at the end of our time creating which did not exist before we started. While the end product is not the main focus necessarily of the creative practice, it is a result of time spent creating.

So how exactly do we develop a Creative Practice? Easy. One step at a time. ​

Step 1: Designate an amount of time to create. A great starting point is 10 minutes. If you find you have more time or want to keep creating then keep going! Bonus: Make it the same time everyday. This gives you something to look forward to, helps others support you in your creative practice, and provides that predictability we talked about earlier. 

Step 2: Choose your materials. I recommend starting with one material to start your practice; you can always add more later as you become comfortable and time allows for more. A great starting art material is a small sketchbook and markers. 

Step 3: Set some basic rules or boundaries on what you might make. Maybe it’s doodling a small mandala design or sketching an object in your environment. 

Step 4: Don’t judge your artwork. This creative practice is not meant for others or judgement. It is meant for expression, play, curiosity, and self-discovery. Tell that inner critic to take a hike! This isn’t going up on a gallery wall so leave the criticism behind. 

It might seem small at first glance but there is a lot of power and impact with this making a creative self-care  practice. So take these small the steps this week and see how they can help you create a shift in your stress levels, thinking and other choosing other positive habits. There more creativity we use the more we have! Get to it creative mama!