Why It's Healthy to Experience a Lull

(*Full disclosure: in order to practice what I preach and enjoy some "lull" time myself, I lifted the above graphic quote from one of my previous Mid-Week Oasis Moments. You're good with that, right?)

I post this from a lovely lull in the mountains of Colorado to remind you that taking a break is healthy for your creativity.

Here's how Brigid Schulte, author of Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time, characterizes this phenomenon:

Neuroscience is finding that when we are idle, in leisure, our brains are most active. The Default Mode Network lights up, which, like airport hubs, connects parts of our brain that don't typically communicate. So a stray thought, a random memory, an image can combine in novel ways to produce novel ideas. (You can read this entire Inc. article here.)

Remember, even if there's no vacation on your horizon, you can experience a mini-lull whenever you like. What if you give yourself permission to enjoy one the following? (Whether you have 10 minutes or an hour or more ~ any amount of lull time can be rejuvenating to your creative spirit!)

10 Ways to Experience Some Lovely Lull Time This Summer

1. Close your eyes and breath. (Yes, this could be called meditation...but it's also just relaxing to have zero stimulus coming in or out for a few minutes.)

2. Take a walk around the block.

3.  Doodle aimlessly.

4. Schedule a massage.

5. Flip through one of your favorite coffee table books. (We buy them...but sometimes we forget to enjoy them!)

6. Color in a mandala or coloring book.

7. Cut and arrange some fresh flowers.

8. Enjoy a solo trip to a museum, gallery or bookstore. (If you can find one!)

9. Peruse a favorite cookbook and choose a new recipe to try.

10. Spend 10 or 15 minutes completely lost in the Creative Oasis Moment of your choosing. (Remember: a Creative Oasis Moment is a creative experience that energizes and delights you ~ that makes time fly and your heart sing.) 

Wishing you some lovely lull time of your own this summer!

From my restful mountain Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

P.S. - My "Create the Summer of Your Dreams Kit" will only remain available for a short time. Click here if you'd like to grab one while you still have plenty of time to enjoy more of the creative experiences you crave this summer!

Beach Lessons - #1 – People are Good.

Beach vacation, day one.  Our cars were packed with beach towels, sunscreen, Scrabble, paperbacks and the several electronic devices that my daughter “needs” for a road trip. (I bit my tongue rather than launch into a “back in my day we played travel bingo and we liked it” tirade.) 

About an hour and a half into our drive, we stopped in Waco, Texas for a quick break.  Once back in our cars, mine (which had just been serviced that week in preparation for this trip) failed to turnover.  Nothing.  Just the dreaded click-click-click of a dead battery.  Great.  Neither we, nor my parents, whom we were caravanning with had jumper cables.  Great.  The temperature was already creeping up past ninety degrees.  And we had our dog in the car with us.  Great.

Then the nicest thing happened.  A man in an old white truck pulled up next to us and asked if he could help.  He had jumper cables.  He had tools.  He had patience and know-how and, in the end he took my dad to a local auto parts store to buy the battery that we needed.  He didn’t want to accept the money that we offered as a thank-you.  He said, “I just like to help people.”  Wow. 

The entire inconvenience lasted about an hour and was worth every minute because it restored our faith in humanity.  It reminded us that there are still good people in the world, willing to take an hour out of their Saturday, in hot, sweaty temperatures to help out some people that they don’t know and will more than likely never see again.  Beach lesson #1 – people are good.