Do you need to account for every minute of your time or are there “non-productive” moments that are priceless?
Creativity demands you have periods of time where you don’t think about work or problems. The more complex a situation, the more you overload your brain. When you occasionally distract yourself with something pusitive positive, something to be engaged with, you give your unconscious a chance to sort through possible solutions. When you return to your work, you might discover a new solution.
Another method is to simply reach out and engage with others. In 2016, a landmark study was completed at the University of California Los Angeles that found that one of the best ways for a person to combat stress is to connect with others. When we interact and connect, oxytocin is released which counters stress. In other words, when you connect with others, you free up creative resources in your brain.
Our passion and creativity thrive through our connection with our feelings and with our spiritual guidance. When we disconnect from our feelings to protect against pain, we also shut out joy, creativity and passion. Life becomes flat, pointless and boring. Love and joy live in the same place in the heart as loneliness and heartbreak. When we shut down, trying to not feel our loneliness and heartbreak, we also shut down our ability to feel love and joy. This is a very sad way to live.
You don’t have to live this way. You can learn to connect within. You can learn to move your focus from outer — trying to get love and connection from others — to inner, truly loving yourself and others. You can learn to shift from avoiding feeling your painful feelings to compassionately embracing them with a desire to learn about what they are telling you. You can learn to take loving care of yourself and experience the deep joy of sharing your love with others.
Peace and Love, Jim
