If you're still laboring under the illusion that time spent enjoying creative endeavors is a luxury, I invite you to flip that belief upside down and consider creative time as a necessity to your well-being...as essential as oxygen, water and, in my case at least, dark chocolate.
As I love to say, your Creative Oasis is whatever makes your heart sing and time fly. It's any and all creative experiences that energize and delight you from writing to gardening to painting to meditating to cooking to choosing what jewelry to wear.
Too often our creative joy is the first thing to fly out the window when we find ourselves over-scheduled and under-nurtured, which quite frankly, is most of the time for many of us.
Here's a quick and easy three-step process I've created to help you practice spending a bit more guilt-free time in your own Creative Oasis starting right here and now.
#1 ~ Breathe. Yes, I know you're already breathing or you wouldn't be able to read this, but I invite you to take two or three nice deep breaths. You may even want to close your eyes to allow yourself to really focus on the fabulous, nurturing feeling that deep breathing can bring.
#2 ~ Listen. To your own inner wisdom that is. Now that you've enjoyed a few deep breaths and feel a bit more relaxed than you did a minute ago, ask yourself "What creative experience is calling my name right now?"
Perhaps you'd like to read an article you've been saving...enjoy some low-pressure doodling...flip through a cookbook to choose a new recipe to try...take a quick photo with your phone...write a note to a friend...maybe you want to simply sit quietly and enjoy a few more deep breaths in peace and quiet. What sounds good to you?
#3 ~ Begin. What if you set a timer and give yourself permission to spend the next five or ten minutes enjoying one of the the Creative Oasis experiences your wise inner voice shared with you just now?
I invite you to savor this time as you would a delicious piece of chocolate knowing that by giving yourself even just a few minutes to rejuvenate your creative spirit, you're taking a wonderful step toward good self-care, stress relief and personal fulfillment.
So, how about it? Why not step away from the computer for a bit and dive into something you've been longing to do but haven't had the time.
I promise that when you've finished enjoying your Creative Oasis moments your family, work and home to-do lists will still be there waiting for you. The only difference is you'll meet them with a renewed sense of energy, peace and satisfaction.
If you'd like to share something about your creative experience below in the comments section, I'd love to hear from you!
If you enjoyed this post I invite you to share it with your friends!
If you enjoyed this post I invite you to share it with your friends!
Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,
Jill
Jill Allison Bryan
www.creativeoasiscoaching.com
