Creating in Difficult Times
Photo by Yassin Mohammadi on Unsplash
The U.S. election is over, and now we have to process all the attendant feelings. I almost didn’t post today, because of an election-season hangover, and feeling like I’m just whispering into the wind. But I committed to at least a monthly post, and I found I did have something to say.
And of course, the U.S. election is not the only thing going on in the world. Wars, climate change-affected weather events, all the usual drumbeats of disaster will keep on going. To top it off, the November-December season is a time of heightened stress for many as we prepare for all the holidays.
With everything going on, how do we keep our heads above water? How do we keep creating, even in the midst of chaos?
Maybe you don’t, and that’s okay. Give yourself permission to take a break if you need it. Schedule time for relaxation, for play. Do something fun and nourishing for your soul. Binge comfort movies and shows. Reread your favorite books. Watch silly cat and dog videos. Take a long walk in nature. Eat that chocolate.
Limit your exposure to social media for a while. It may feel good in the moment to join a community of like-minded folk to share and vent your feelings, but how often does that turn into an endless, agitating, doom-scrolling session? Do you really feel better afterwards?
Allow yourself to feel any feelings you have, without the sense that you “should” feel some other way, or “get over it” quickly. Practice mindfulness – of your feelings, and your current actual circumstances. It’s easy to spiral into fear or dread, but this moment is what it is. Try to stay with your breath and allow yourself to just be.
Maybe sticking with your routines is what you need right now. Sometimes the rhythm of the familiar helps ground us, and reminds us that good things can happen no matter what else is going on in the world. But don’t force it. That just creates more stress and pain. Be gentle, and do what you can. Sometimes, when you think you just can’t, you try, and then find that sweet wellspring that ends up nourishing you in ways you couldn’t imagine.
Also, allow those spontaneous creative moments to pop up. Don’t censor, or tell yourself it’s not what you were planning to do, or you shouldn’t create right now... This morning, before the clouds rolled in, the sunrise lit my courtyard with a lovely peachy-pink glow. It was such a contrast to my dark mood that it inspired a poem:
I cling to the peach-gold sunrise
To the taste of sweetness
To the memory of hope
To the power of love and compassion
To friends, and flowers, and frolicking puppies
And the still clear waters of a lake
Whose ripples rock me gently
As I gaze upon the beauty of the world
Art perseveres, in good times and bad. It helps us express our feelings, and make sense of a chaotic world. Don’t turn away from what brings you joy. The world needs your words – and your love, compassion, and laughter. Remember above all to be compassionate with yourself. Fill your well, so that you and others may drink abundantly, and spread the light of your creativity through any darkness.
