Creativity and Mental Health: Rolling With Resistance

1/10/2023

There is a moment. In fact there are many- in a Creative Person’s life- when you are between activities. You have something looming before you that you need to do. Sometimes it is big- a presentation, a new job, a performance. Sometimes, it is more routine- getting out of the car, up out of bed, out of a chair.
Consequently, a similar principle applies in each situation: resistant and the changing of stasis. Living things, human beings specifically, and Creative People especially, are resistant to changes in stasis. Your body and mind are in a “place,” especially a lower energy place, they naturally resist changing to a new “place,” especially a higher energy place.

Creative People Have A Unique Ability to Perceive and Feel

The concepts of resistance, change and stasis in Creative People are related to a previous post about Creative People and their sensory perception. Essentially, Creative People, due to powerful senses and emotions, also have powerful and the levels of involvement in both their internal and external worlds. This impacts the way that you as a Creative Person respond stimuli.
Some Creative People may relate this to things like diagnosed or undiagnosed ADHD in their past, and/or may be aware of other sensory diagnoses. While this may or may not apply to every Creative Person, what is important here is powerful sensory sensitivity and perception is related to your personality as a highly Creative Person.

Highly Sensitive Creative People

The powerful relationship is the for two reasons: The first reason is the human tendency and really the animalistic tendency to seek stasis. Stasis is has been reconceptualized by science and anxiety research in different ways, and one of the leading theories that I like (and there's a past post about this, too, that you could search for if you're interested in learning more) is allostasis.

How Allostasis Affects Creative Personalities

Picture of a working artist at her desk. Get creativity coaching for more positive mental health and creativity in Richmond, VA and Baltimore, MD here. Creativity Coaches in Germany, United States, Canada, UK and beyond can help!

Allostasis combines the body’s different types of “stases” into a more collective concept. Preferred homeostasis in the body like temperature range, hydration range, oxygenation range and so on contribute to a level of overall stress in the body. When these stases are balanced, the body is in a state of allostasis. When these stases are unbalanced, the body is said to carry stress, or an allostatic load.
Human beings naturally prefer an existence of allostasis, meaning, we are not carrying a load of stress. We are in a balanced space of being able to predict oncoming stressors, not carrying a load of pre-existing stressors, but generally in a state of peace and balance.

Creative People are Especially Powerful

As highly Creative People, we know that our emotions are powerful. We know that our sensory perception is powerful. Overall, you are likely to be especially sensitive to experiences as a creative human being. This means if you have reached a moment of of homeostasis, such as in allostasis, your body is at rest and it can be especially difficult to disrupt that to ask your body to go someplace cold, hungry or to push yourself into activity requiring more energy or work.

Mixed Messages to Creative Personalities

Too often, Creative People have been given the message that their powerful feelings and ways of living are problematic and that they should change. My regular message to Creative People is instead to recognize living loudly is part of who you are, and, to embrace and understand these features rather than wasting energy fighting them.

Creative People and the Methodology of Mindfulness

Picture of a group of graphic designers looking focused. Mental health an creativity matters for creative personalities. Creativity Coaches in Richmond, VA and Baltimore, MD can help you cope with life's stressors and more.

When it comes to resistance, we again look to the methodology of mindfulness as a technique to embrace our natural Creative Personalities. We recognize and remember, that, because of who we are, and how we are designed as Creative People, changing from a place of stasis is hard. We are likely experiencing powerful resistance. This is not broken-ness in us, nor is it unnatural. This is simply a part of our normal experiencing.
The next thing we do? We experience the resistance. We allow it. It is a part of our lives and all parts of us are a meaningful contribution to our lives as Creative People. We use mindfulness techniques to observe, not resist, and allow the resistance to be. We acknowledge it, and we move through.

Mindfulness for Health and Balance in Creatives

Applying mindfulness as a technique to support our Creative Personalities is another chapter in our Creativity Journey. It is one of our most effective tools to living naturally, healthy, creative lives.

Creativity Coaches May Be Who You Need

Picture of a person's hands holding a palette and painting with purple paint. Working artists can get creative support with creativity coaches in Germany, the United States, Canada, the UK and beyond here.

Interested in learning more about your Creative Personality, using mindfulness techniques, and living healthy as a Creative Person? If you are interested in real, impactful and lasting change for your creative mind, I would love to help you. Let's connect and launch your life to the next level! I have three steps you can take, right now from my site if you are ready to take an important step forward in your life:
If you are interested in real, impactful and lasting change for your creative mind, I would love to help you. Let's connect and launch your life to the next level! I have three steps you can take, right now from my site if you are ready to take an important step forward in your life:
1) Book a Free Consultation. All new clients to Creatively, LLC are entitled to a 15 min, free consultation to sit with me and discuss your needs, services available, and we can problem solve and hand-pick best next steps to help you succeed.
2) Take a Creativity Course where you can build support, accountability and a network of Creative People as a stepping stone towards reconnecting and committing to your authentic, creative self.
3) Book a Coaching Package. Are you a working Creative in need of specific support? I offer a range of Creativity Coaching Packages from 150$- let's get started with one that is right for you.