Creating fosters peace and calm within the heart and soul and becomes a meditation of its own. It could be painting, or drawing, working with clay, knitting, crocheting, weaving, quilting, playing a musical instrument, creating a special food in the kitchen, or working in your garden. The possibilities are virtually endless.
You see, it becomes meditation when you get lost in the process of creating and are so present that time seems to stand still. Sometimes when I paint, hours can go by and it feels like mere minutes. There is something so beautiful about that kind of presence. In that space you get lost in the experience, and as you do, your mind relaxes, and your body follows your mind. Heart rate falls, blood pressure drops, blood vessels relax and your body mind and spirit all feel the calm and peace settle in. It helps to break the cycle of the stress response of the body.
Sometimes when stress hormones pour into our systems too frequently, our bodies don't get the chance to calm. This happens when chronic stress sounds the alarm within our systems that we are in a life or death situation. It triggers a complex surge of stress hormones, which course through our blood streams telling us to be on guard. This is very important when we are indeed in a life and death situation. But when this call to be ready for battle goes on for an extended time, it begins to damage our bodies, and affect our emotions and our cognitive functioning.
Giving yourself permission to create freely and joyfully in whatever way that makes your heart sing, allows you to reverse this harmful cycle. When we are doing what we love and are present and mindful, the effects of chronic stress begin to release and our bodies, minds and spirits can actually relax. This isn't just something that feels good and feels like a relief. It also helps our bodies to recover and to even reverse the effects of chronic stress. This is literally self-care in action. This is essential to your well-being. Give yourself this gift today. Don't put it off. Think of what it is that you love to create and begin to foster health for your body, mind and spirit. 💜
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