Are you in a creative mindset because of recent emotional trauma that has left your heart crying out for something beyond your everyday mundane existence? Whether you’re struggling with loss of a loved one, the breakup of a long-term relationship, a difficult phase of marriage, or something else… Sometimes, being alone with our emotions is the best thing we can do for ourselves.
This doesn’t mean shutting people out of your life if they want to be there for you and can do so in a healthy and nurturing way. If you’re finding that the more you try to explain your recent challenges to others, the more difficult it becomes and the more tongue-tied you get… then you might consider that the universe is sending you a message. It’s a good time to be alone and express yourself beyond what spoken words can do.
The ironic thing about being at our most vulnerable and self-protective emotionally is that this is also a time when creativity soars.
Some of the greatest creative masterpieces known to man, some of the most incredible musical and artistic compositions, were born from someone’s very personal and deep emotional struggles. Think of the suffering of Beethoven, Vincent Van Gogh, the “27 club” of rock and roll musicians, and many more famous individuals who made their mark on the world despite their deep inner turmoil.
Connecting with our emotions doesn’t have to (and shouldn’t) lead to tragedy or the early cessation of a beautiful life.
We can take the extra, needed step, and reach out to other humans if we need to. We can harness our emotions to not only create for the sake of creation itself but knowing that what we share with the world will be making a difference for someone else who is much like ourselves. What if you went beyond simply talking and sharing with your therapy support group and engaged in a healing group activity – like sketching a self-portrait. You can even take this exercise to the next level and draw what comes to mind in knowing others in the group. Your representation of how you see yourself versus how others see you can be an illuminating topic of discussion that lends a different and helpful perspective.
What if you…went beyond simply doing a writing or journal assignment on your own, and instead opened the project to a group of like-minded souls on social media who may have undergone a recent trauma that is similar to what you are facing? If you already belong to a support group online, you might step up with a bold suggestion for an exploratory creative exercise of this kind.
When we create, we often do so alone. But what if we could share the emotions behind what we have manifested into being? What would that do for our mental health and relationships? It may be worth finding out.
This post is part of the Emotional Healing series. Printable version available HERE.