Creativity in a crisis

When a crisis hits us, whether that be a personal crisis or a world-wide crisis, we often feel enormous fear. Many other emotions, such as worry and panic, can manifest themselves in our minds and bodies, which can have a negative impact on us and others around us. Fear in itself can lead to our thoughts spiralling out of control and lead to us taking actions which are hasty and sometimes unfounded. It is difficult to be in control when we are afraid. In itself, fear cannot be controlled but during very difficult times, if we can have more awareness for how we react, we could have more control over our thoughts and actions in response to fear.

Everybody is creative. We are all unique individuals who do things differently every day. Some people have creative jobs, some people get creative with their children, some people sing in their own style when they take a shower! Creativity makes us human. To be creative we use our imaginations and think inventively. To be creative we need to be open minded and be true to ourselves. Innovative people take nothing for granted in the creative process, and it is through the process that they take most enjoyment, as much or even more than seeing the end product of their creativity.

For me, I believe being creative in a crisis can have a hugely positive effect on us. First the necessary steps when faced with crisis is to recognise what we are feeling. When that tsunami of emotion threatens to engulf us, we need a grounding to hold onto, so we are not swept away. That grounding mechanism will be different for everyone, but the important thing is to find something that works for you. I recommend deep breathing wholeheartedly. The idea of deep breathing may sound a little goofy or cliché to many, however it’s a proven strategy to quickly lower pressure and decrease stress. There are so many types of breathing exercises, it’s well worth a little investigation to find something that gives benefits to you. I love alternate nostril breathing – works wonders – check it out on YouTube!

So, once you have your ‘grounding’, and the tsunami has subsided, we are often left with a general feeling of anxiety and emotional strain. This is when our thoughts can spiral out of control and we feel trapped in ourselves. Perhaps we are even trapped due to needing to isolate……this is when creativity most needs to shine.

Here are my 6 top tips of using creativity in a crisis:

1. You don’t have to follow the crowd: whatever crisis you are facing, you can be creative in your reactions to it. If everyone is running one way, physically or metaphorically speaking, if you know there’s a ‘better exit’ another way, be brave in following your gut instinct. Find your own creative path. Your gut instinct is your body’s uniquely creative way of expressing itself. We can get so carried away with how other people react in a crisis, it’s tempting to ignore our instincts and follow the crowd. Your body is a wonderful tool – so creative in its making; listen to it.

2. Surround yourself with other creative people: if you are lucky enough to have other creative people in your life who have their own uniquely self-expressive personalities, reach out to them. Try to avoid toxic people who tend to have ‘one way or no way’ mentalities. Creativity is even more powerful in collaboration. A creative friend might have their own unique tools to make available to you.

3. Think outside the box: divergent thinking is a form of creativity. Pick up a fork and work out how many ways you can use it. Someone who can think divergently will be able to think of many, many uses for a fork, not just the obvious ones. In a crisis, our imaginations can tend to go into hibernation. But by encouraging yourself to think outside the box, you might find yourself discovering new strategies for coping in a crisis. Talking to someone close to me, they told me how in every crisis in their life, they would beat themselves up over every decision they made and focus all their attention on what other people thought of them. When they ultimately ‘thought outside the box’ of their usual patterns of behaviour, they said they ‘became more in tune with themselves’ and could deal with later crisis’ as a stronger person.

4. Experiment: creative people aren’t afraid to take risks and experiment with ideas. They are also focused in their approach. Rather than enabling your thoughts to spiral out of control and ultimately reach panic point, focus your mind on a new idea. Try searching YouTube for a dance class and have a go, find some paints at the back of the cupboard and let the colours do the thinking. Start a diary. Basically experiment; try something new. Take the focus away from your crisis (if possible) and you might find you can ultimately manage the crisis more empathically.

5. Dream: creativity and visualisation are very complementary. Everything getting too much? Simply close your eyes and imagine yourself in a happy place. This will be different for everyone. But if you make a conscious decision to make a mental picture of your favourite location or even a picture of yourself in a happier, calmer place, your mind and body will slowly respond. It will become calmer.

6. Lead with your heart: fundamentally when we are faced with crisis, we often find out who we truly are. Look inward. Listen to your heart. Ask it, who do I want to be right now? Do I want to let fear take over me and determine every thought and action I take? Or do I want love to govern my thoughts and actions? Ultimately, as humans, we need shelter, food, water….and love to survive a crisis. Let love be your guide not fear. Love your loved ones but also love your neighbours, strangers. One person alone is not as powerful as a community acting with love. Do good deeds however small they may be. Be kind.

When fear threats to take hold of every fibre of your body; when your emotions are racing and you find yourself in the middle of a crisis, the only thing you can control is your thoughts and your actions. You cannot control the crisis. Your fear can only help you to avoid immediate danger. Each and every one of us have uniquely creative gifts, which if used in a crisis, could determine a very different outcome if only we are strong enough to let them.