I've been trying to squeeze every drop of summer out - as you do in colder climates when winter will be back in a minute - and this year, I've found something interesting happening... 

Stuff is... hard.  

Things that came easily to me require more effort. I'm getting in my own way in ways that seem silly in hindsight.

And of course, everyone's favorite:

It's not shocking - creatives are a bit more prone to anxiety because ✨SURPRISE✨ our brains are SO GOOD at coming up with things out of thin air! 

But I've also found that creative acts and projects can help me navigate out of anxiety by giving me something outside of myself to focus on. 

During the depths of the pandemic - I'm talking April 2020 when everyone was freaking out - I was able to focus my energy on making masks, which spawned a bunch of other creative projects. When I otherwise would have been drowning in anxiety, creativity saved me. 

(Want to hear more? I talked about it on this early 2021 episode of the Creative Guts podcast!)

Have you ever used a creative act to help your mental health? I'd love to hear your story.

To wrap this thought train up, I always say that I love to facilitate creative play with my classes, but there's something here relating to anxiety/stress relief that I want to explore more intentionally both here and in my classes. We'll see where this goes!