While I can’t speak for other writers, I find I suffer from an excess of imagination and fidgeting. My brain is rarely quiet which leads to difficulty sleeping or even just relaxing. When I’m needing to relax, I find crafting, cooking, cleaning, and organizing to be activities that calm my brain. Maybe it’s the repetitive steps. Maybe it’s seeing something created as I work. Maybe it’s the memories crafting and cooking evoke. Maybe it’s the order from chaos. I don’t think too hard about why it works because that doesn’t really matter to me even if there are plenty of scientific studies to explain it. All I know is that those activities help my brain calm down, and they soothe my mood when I’m feeling stressed.
Writing wakes my brain up, and I may be up until the early hours of the morning trying to get ideas on the page. The next day, I’m in a bit of a haze from loss of sleep and wrecking my regular schedule. I’ve taken to picking up a crafting activity in the evening to unwind before bedtime. Reading can work, too, but if I’m reading something too interesting or adventurous, I might as well be writing.
Cooking, cleaning, and organizing are the activities I turn to when my brain can’t seem to form a coherent thought. When I am stressed or when I am presented with a difficult-to-solve issue, I turn to these activities to focus. They get my brain into a problem-solving mode. They require a combination of common sense and creativity, and those are the ingredients for problem solving.
Why does any of this matter? Whether you’re a writer, accountant, librarian, or “insert your career field here,” it’s important for us to know ourselves. It’s important for us to know what calms our minds and what activities strengthen our problem-solving skills. These activities make me a better writer and person. What activities make you better at what you do? This week, spend a little time figuring out what activities improve your personal and career decision making.
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Inspirational Verse for the Day:
I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6, CSB)
All Things Subject to Change 