Self-care

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

Spring Clean Your Way to Increased Creativity

Lynette M Burrows

It’s spring in the United States and time for the ritual of spring cleaning. It’s almost a compulsion. And you know what? Done right, you can spring clean your way to increased creativity. Why Spring Cleaning? According to How Stuff Works, the ritual of spring cleaning probably originated in the Iranian New Year’s tradition of khane tekani, the Jewish Passover, and the Chinese tradition of sweeping out the old year before the New Year begins. The time-honored traditions repeated over thousands of years make the ritual feel instinctual. How Does it Help Us? A thorough house-cleaning has health benefits according to Healthline. A clean home can strengthen your immune system. An uncluttered home can reduce stress and depression. A clean home prevents the spread of illness. A decluttered home reduces your chances of injury. According to the article, spring cleaning your home may also lead to more healthy eating and physical activity. Spring cleaning your office may not lead to better eating and more physical activity, but it couldn’t hurt. Clean Your Workspace If a cleaner home improves one’s health and mental outlook, a cleaner workspace will too. Set aside as much time as you need to do a deep […]

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 […]