Every person I know will sometimes get stuck, or not feeling particularly creative for a particular time. It can be a day, a week, a month or longer. From scrolling feeds, it seems like some of us are falling into a winter blues. Maybe it’s because we’re not as busy in the slow season. We can put our value on ourselves as a person when we create, have streams on income coming in, or when we stay busy. It’s so easy and common to fall into those traps. But here’s what to do when you’re creatively stuck so you can pick yourself back up!
How to Beat the Winter Blues:
One – Recognize that it’s totally normal
As I mentioned before, it’s difficult for me to imagine that this doesn’t happen to everyone.
Don’t beat yourself up when you’re already down. That doesn’t help anyone or anything. Give yourself some grace and patience. Know that these feelings are ok, but also don’t let that stop you from moving yourself forward.
Two – Find some headspace.
Whatever that means to you and works for you. For me, that means getting out of the current stagnant environment. Sometimes that means leaving my house, driving a few hours away, taking a hike and getting some fresh air, and doing those things that I enjoy.
Other times, when I have to be home because of bad weather where it’s not ideal to leave the house, I start changing the energy of my space. Burning candles, incense, or a smokeless energy clearing spray which was very useful in the wildfires earlier this year when there was already plenty of smoke in the air.
Three – Figure out your feelings.
If I can’t get unstuck easily (basically meaning following the above), I start to dig in a little deeper. That means either writing it out or talking to a friend who may have been in a similar situation, that will understand or empathize with those feelings.
Getting some perspective can also help see your situation in a new light. This new point of view can be the rope that leads you out of the rut.
Four – Bootstrap yourself out of the funk.
At this point, you’ve acknowledged your feelings, worked on getting them out, clearing your head, and now you need to kick yourself in the butt and get going again. Move. Literally. I will do exercise to get good endorphins going. Move forward in creating. Move forward in your projects. Just start moving ahead in whatever you’re doing.
Conclusion
Friends, I hope you feel armed with tools for the next time you feel creatively stuck so you can move forward! Please let me know in comments if you have anything else that you do that may help others out!
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