A Healthy Body Fuels Creativity
Tomesia 0 Comments Brand Attributes Creativity
As entrepreneurs in the creative flow, we often forget about taking care of our bodies, because our minds are exploding with color, sounds, words and images. But, if you allow unhealthy habits to rob your body of its strength and vitality, your creativity and productivity will be stolen as well.
What is more frustrating than having your creative flow interrupted by an annoying headache, back spasm or brain freeze (loss of creativity)?
I heard an expression once that as a guitar player, I’m a “small muscle athlete” – meaning I need to warm up my muscles and treat them well. Perhaps as entrepreneurs we’re ALL small muscle athletes. After all, we do need a good measure of endurance to get through our creative tasks.
Whether it’s sitting poised and pretty through a meeting, the stamina to stand and walk on stage throughout an entire presentation or sitting at a computer keyboard for most of the day, our creative tools all require the use of our bodies.
To keep our bodies strong and resilient takes daily attention.
Daily self-care routines such as getting enough sleep, eating three healthy and balanced meals throughout the day (plus healthy snacks if you need them), actively moving your body and drinking lots of water are all essential for taking care of your body.
Taking care of your body also affects your mind. Fatigue, malnutrition, inactivity and dehydration will all have adverse effects on your mind and the ability to problem solve, concentrate and connect ideas.
Traveling for a speaking tour, rehearsing for a presentation or burning the midnight oil to finish a proposal before a client meeting, are all examples of extraordinary circumstances where we might relax our self-care discipline and adopt a new set of rules.
Then, when the presentation is over or the proposal is finished, we sometimes sink into an anti-climactic “low” or a period of transition before we get back into the creative flow again.
The daily routine you follow when things are “normal” will build resilience for the times when extraordinary circumstances come up. They also build habits and healthy living skills that you can draw on when life gets more challenging.
One of the best practices for a healthy body, mind and spirit is to get enough sleep and rest. Tonight, why not try ending your evening activities thirty minutes early and spend that time in reflection mode winding down. Release the worries of the day by writing about them. Calm yourself with a bath, tea, massage, music or a good read that doesn’t remind you of your work.
We can all come up with reasons why we can’t exercise, can’t make different food choices and can’t focus more on our health. You have a unique creative gift to share with the world, but your creativity relies on a sound mind and body.
