Self-care

Posts by author Lynette M. Burrows on things creatives can do to take care of themselves.

Will You Make It Fun?

Lynette M Burrows

Recently, I read a post about how constructive criticism can be destructive. In my experience, I know this to be true. I’m sure you’ve had the same experience. So why do you (I’m including me in this) continue to be your own worst enemies? Why are you your harshest judge? To fight your way free of the mental blocks (writer’s block for those doing nanowrimo). You know the ones that say housework is drudgery or the day job is soul sucking. Or something many of us are saying, 2020 is the worst year ever. It is, but… By telling yourselves over and over and over how bad things are, you reinforce the feelings that only bad things happen. For your sanity, you have to get past that. How? By having fun? What’s that you say? How can you make it fun when things are so bad?  If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun. Katharine Hepburn Unstructured Play Ms. Hepburn may have been talking about rules of acting or laws or life. But here, we’re talking about having fun, unstructured play. A playful attitude and a little bending of the rules that allows all sides to have […]

How to Spot Your Strength When You Feel Powerless

Lynette M Burrows

Last week I talked about finding your joy, especially in these crazy days of 2020. This week let’s talk about how to spot your strength when you feel powerless. There is lots of crappy stuff going on in 2020 that makes us feel helpless. But there are ways to take your power back. A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. – Christopher Reeve Strength Can Be Learned You have power over your mind– not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. – Marcus Aurelius Yes, it can. Like a kid learning to walk or to ride a bike, it’s not a one-and-done deal. The first step is to train yourself to recognize the things that make you feel helpless. These are your triggers. Once you recognize them, train yourself to avoid them or to respond to them differently. Sharpen Your Awareness There are certain images or words or places that trigger a feeling of helplessness. Knowing what these are, avoiding them when you feel vulnerable are one way to take back your control. Pay attention to your physical body. Do you feel shriveled up, closed, tight? Then […]

The Challenge of 2020 is to Find Your Joy

Lynette M Burrows

I’m worried about you. On my Facebook and twitter feeds, I see a lot of you are in distress. Yes, we’ve more than a few challenges this year. For some of you, those challenges are down right catastrophes. But for a lot of you, you’re taking on those catastrophes as your own. You’ve lost your joy. And that is a catastrophe. The challenge of 2020 to find your joy. Without a little joy each day, you’re allowing the world and events you cannot control to control you and how you feel. Perhaps you’ll find a little joy in one of these quotes. Joy While Having a Bad Day Those who prepared for all the emergencies of life beforehand may equip themselves at the expense of joy. E. M. Forster I discovered that joy is not the negation of pain, but rather acknowledging the presence of pain and feeling happiness in spite of it. Lupita Nyong’o We can feel joy even while having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year! Russell M. Nelson We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy. Joseph Campbell We have to embrace obstacles to reach the next stage […]