On Creativity.

My first memory of me being creative is of me making a skirt when I was probably about 10. I am sure I was creative before that but I don’t have a memory of those moments. I have seen pictures but I am going with my first real and clear memory. At the time, I am pretty sure I dreamt of being a Fashion Designer and obsessed with Jean Paul Gaultier’s work. I think I carried that ambition for many years, even going to college to study for an HND in Fashion and Textile Design after completing my degree in Behavioural Science. I didn’t last, I struggled with the lack of flexibility of college after University and obviously wasn’t that committed to it so went off to do a Masters in Fine Art instead. Indulgent, expensive and for a long time I thought pointless. But turns out maybe not so pointless.

I listened to Sir Ken Robinson Ted Talk this morning which was very interesting and considering I don’t have much love for our education system though I love to learn it rang very true for me.  Sir Ken Robinson believes that Creativity is as important in education as literacy, that we should nurture creativity but that it gets educated out of us with our current educational system. Our education system is failing, it is not fit for the world of today and most likely redundant for the world of tomorrow.

Check out the Ted talk here:

https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity?referrer=playlist-the_most_popular_talks_of_all#t-353374

Daniel H. Pink and his theories on motivation would certainly be supporting Robinson’s views on creativity and schools. We’ve got it wrong. It shouldn’t be about getting a Degree for the sake of having one so you can get a good job or choose one so it gets you to a high paying job. It goes against motivation and what drives us. It stifles creativity. It’s not just our education system that stifles creativity but it is the first significant hurdle of the journey.

So how do we nurture our creativity?

For some of us (I am mostly talking about me here), we have to wipe the slate clean and forget all past creative efforts because they no longer serve us – my should have, could have, what if – Done. Anthony Burrill on how to be more creative that says Forget what you’ve done in the past. He believes that “you really need to have a process of creative renewal so that you’re not endlessly remaking the same picture…” More here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2018/how-to-be-more-creative-anthony-burrill/

We just need to start being creative as creativity breeds more creativity. Do something new, change your daily routine, sign up to a class, challenge yourself to read a book a week.

We should also procrastinate more, do nothing, meditate and get uncomfortable. I have the most random thoughts when I stop and go for a walk, or meditate or basically where I am doing nothing.

This year I challenged myself to be more creative in my personal life so that my creativity wasn’t just being funnelled into my work – not that is a bad thing - and I think I am slowly getting there. I signed up to a pottery class, I am writing, reading a lot, drawing and taking photos. I guess we will see where my creativity and creative endeavours take me, if anywhere, but I am enjoying the process and journey and that is the main thing.

True art is always done for its own sake, for love of composing it. Follow your instincts, your creative intuition, and cherish the result without judgment. - unknown

Type I motivation, mastery and snowboarding.

In The surprising truth about motivation, Daniel H. Pink discusses the various ideas around motivation and the path to mastery. Mastery he believes fuels the autonomy and purpose of Type I behaviour and motivation. He defines mastery as the desire to get better and better at something that matters.

Being able to snowboard has been on my bucket list since I was 12. In 2007, I moved up to Scotland from Bristol where I had spent my time surfing and traded surfboard for snowboard. Twelve years later, am I on the path to mastery? No, not even close…. but have I learnt anything?

I love the mountains and I love snowboarding. It informs the way I dress, the way I live and my values.

Snowboarding is a lot of falling down, getting back and sore muscles while you master even standing on your board. Once you can stand then comes the real challenge – sliding sideways and turns! It took me a long time to learn to turn properly. Snowboarding is a progression sport and an activity where mistakes are crucial to your progression. Sometimes yes, they hurt. My wrist is no longer straight and if I sit too long hunched over my computer I get a gentle reminder of another injury around my shoulder blade. I see them as reminders to get some movement into my day.

Snowboarding teaches you to let go once in a while, be present and to focus on the things that make us hyped to be alive. Snowboarding has driven my need for a work-life balance. There is more to life than working 9 to 5, paying the bills and repeating.

Snowboarding tries to remind you that the process, the journey, is what matters not the destination, although it helps if you can master a tow as it will make your snowboarding journey just a tad smoother.  I have days where a Poma will get the better of me, usually at the start of a season, and I have to overcome the fear in my mind. I had one such wipe-out this year, totally looked ridiculous as I crash landed but it didn’t break me so back I got for attempt number two with just a tiny bit of wobble (thinking don’t fall, don’t fall, just relax, stay upright) and back on my way up the mountain.

Daniel H. Pink talks about the path to mastery is doing things on the day you don’t feel like doing them. Well snowboarding in Scotland certainly teaches you how to do something you love on days you really don’t want to do it. If you can bear the gale force winds sandblasting your face and the ice and the rocks intermingled sending you on an unintended jump, then well those blue sky days and soft slushy snow will taste all the sweeter.

How to sleep better (and why we really should care about our sleep).

Sleep can have a huge impact on our attention, understanding, mood, relationships and performance. And good sleep doesn’t just mean lots of sleep – we can’t scrimp on our sleep during the week and try to make up for it at the weekend. Dr Chatterjee in his book The 4 Pillar Plan talks about how we are living in a middle of a sleep deprivation epidemic and it is affecting so many aspects of our lives and our mental health. How much sleep we need, varies from person to person, but it is somewhere between 7 – 9 hours. 

We need to take back control over sleep stealers and make sleep a priority. We need to sleep away our stress and maintain our mental wellbeing.

Our 4 top tips:

1.       Get a set routine where you go to bed and wake up at pretty much the same time every day, even at weekends. 

2.       Get as much natural light as you can throughout the day but especially in the morning. Collette Heneghan (Health & Wellbeing Coach) even recommends keeping off the sunglasses to absorb more Vitamin D! This will help with your circadian rhythm.

3.    Exercise and eat early. Dr Chatterjee recommends eating within a 12-hour period. Exercising early (even for just 20 minutes) can set you up for the day. 

4.       Wind down - unplug for a least an hour before bed. Avoid electronics blue light. Most devices now have a blue light filter which is worth using in the run up to your switch off.

When you really can’t sleep, get up and go to another room and do something relaxing. Once you feel sleepy, try and go back to bed. This will help reduce anxiety or going over in your mind of your to-do list, things that happened during the day, what you should have or should not have done. If you find yourself struggling to get to sleep regularly, it might be worth keeping a sleep diary. It may also be worth seeing your doctor as sometimes poor sleep could be due to an underlying medical condition. ­­

HOW TO BREATHE TO RELAX.

Have you ever noticed what happens to your breath when you encounter stressful or anxious situations? Managing stress, or our reactions to events, conversations, emails, etc… can be a huge step towards taking better care of ourselves, our mind and body.

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.

Charles R. Swindoll

We all encounter situations that can increase our stress levels but focusing on the power of the breath can be a huge way to harness your inner calm and reduce anxieties or stress. In Yoga and in particular Forest yoga, we are taught a more conscious connection with our breath. Conscious control of breath allows us to shift our nervous system state on demand and downshift when we are high strung or up level when we feel dull or apathetic. Conscious connection to breath also allows us to develop more of an ability to receive and react to stimuli coming from within.

Brenee Brown in Rising strong talks about “The four part breathing”– it is used by athletes, performers, doctors, and even navy seals, to quickly enter a calm, focused state of mind and body; especially when they are in an intense situation where they need to be fully present and directly connected to their best self.

How to do a Calming Breath: (your eyes can be open or closed – whatever is more comfortable for you)

1. Take a long, slow breath in through your nose, first filling your lower lungs, then your upper lungs. Count to four.

2. Hold your breath in for four.

3. Exhale slowly through pursed lips, while you relax the muscles in your face, jaw, shoulders, and stomach for a count of four.

4. Hold your empty breath for a count of four.

5. Repeat.

The great thing about this is you can do this anywhere, anytime. Lying down or sitting comfortably in a chair with your feet on the floor. The pace doesn't matter; it should just be something that feels good to you. Try and make the exhale smooth and have almost all of the air leave your body. Do it with the counting as long as you need to get the pace down before going to the next step. If you are feeling particularly anxious, holding in your breath after you exhale can be soothing.

Breathing can be a huge positive steps towards self-love and self-care. It’s not about meditation. It is sitting with our feelings and managing them. We can learn to heal through breathing.

If you are interested in learning more about breathing to heal, check out this Tedx talk by Max Strom:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lb5L-VEm34

Are you thriving or surviving? Why we should aim to have more control over our lives.

“Have the self-respect & confidence to live life on your own terms”

Benjamin P. Hardy

For a long time, I think was just surviving. Every day felt like a struggle to get from one thing to another, get up, get ready, get child ready, get dog walked, drop off child, get to work, get work done, collect child, get dinner ready, bedtime and crash. Get up and repeat. And repeat. Daily feelings of guilt for not doing enough or being enough, wanting to do more but not being able to push through the barriers, my own barriers.

What changed?

It was a culmination of events that led be to literally saying I can’t do this anymore. I have always been an impulsive cease the day person and I was quite far away from this - from who I am as a person. I was an anxious, stressed and really not the most pleasant to be around.

What has helped?

1.      Implementing boundaries.

Setting boundaries does not always come easily but they are crucial to our personal well-being. Knowing and clearly defining what your intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual boundaries are with strangers, work colleagues, friends, family, and intimate partners is key. Think about why they are important, your values and then communicate this, ground yourself and be assertive.

2.      De-cluttering ‘toxic’ factors.

Evidence suggests that decluttering physical space reduces stress, helps fight depression, makes it easier to focus, promotes healthier eating and improves air quality. It isn’t just physical space that sometimes need decluttered – we should create positive emotional spaces around us and sometimes this means letting go of friendships, partnerships, etc…that do not serve us anymore.

3.      Scheduling my time.

I love a good list but that was not supporting my well-being. I now schedule everything including my breaks. You can start by doing a time audit of what you spend your time doing every day – you might think you spend 30 minutes on emails every day but actually that is where most of your time goes. I now no longer look at emails before 11. Plan your day/ week ahead, include everything you need to do and focus on your 3 most important tasks every day. Spend 5 minutes at the end of your day planning your next day. Don’t multi-task and plan a buffer into your scheduling.