Creative Choices: Three Mindful Tips to Clear Overwhelm in the Creative Mind | SMart Choice Lifestyle

When was the last time your mind felt overwhelmed by lots and lots of thoughts? Mine is doing that as I write this blog post. Just started another draft because the previous one talked about three topics at the same time, and that really brought no value neither to me writing it or to you reading it. 

So, I decided to approach things more like documenting the experience of feeling overwhelmed. You probably had many great ideas throughout your life, but not many of them got to see the light of day. It might have been for lack of time, lost interest, or resources.

If you're like me, and you overthink things, this might be the reason you have all these great ideas but no actual result with any of them, because you constantly feel the need of adding or remodeling something. It's a mix between overthinking and perfectionism, the mother of all anxiety for creatives.

HOW DOES OVERWHELM HAPPEN?

You start with a simple and great idea that makes you happy. Then begin to add to it, making it more refined. But when the adding doesn't stop, you find yourself in overwhelm land and can easily give that idea up or save it for later because it got too complex.

A creative mind is contradictory and most of the times a puzzle even for the creative person. Plus, we NEED to do a thousand things at the same time, because our interests go far and wide and we "can't just do one single thing". Add this to a thirst for learning and reading, and you find yourself in my shoes. 

The funny, ironical things is that I have a very clear vision and outlined plan of what I want to do, but my mind keeps wanting more information. It finds that it doesn't know enough, and the more I know, the better the plan will be. The truth is the more info I consume, the more time I lose, and get further and further from my original idea. And it becomes exhausting!

The more I learn, the more I get the impression that I really don't know anything for sure. It never ends! But the truth is that all knowledge is smoke if we don't use it, if we don't act upon it. What use is there to know a lot of things if you don't share it with others? 

But here comes another issue! Every idea I once had wants to come out in first, and be written on this blog, for you to see and be helped by. It's like my mind has a... mind of its own! What's really happening is that my mind is overstimulated by all the information I bombard it with daily. If I keep on filling it and take little out, of course the lack of  "mind space" will get to my nerves (and yours as you read this, I will get to the point in just a minute, promise!).

Lots of ideas and no... idea where to start from? Pick one and go do it. Overthinking leads to inaction, and nothing ever gets done.

"What's this have to do with me?" you're probably asking. Well, here are the three key-things I learned about how to calm down any overwhelming situation, before acting on each idea at a time.

1. Clear your mind on paper. 

Making space for thinking has proven do do wonders. Whenever I feel cluttered up inside my mind, I take out a simple notebook and a pen and dump all of my ideas and thoughts on paper. You might think that you're not good at writing or don't have the time to do that. But do you have time of being stuck between thoughts and ideas that keep you from creating and / or doing whatever you were supposed to do that day? No? OK! 

Then the next time when you feel that your mind is bubbling up ideas and a neverending web of thoughts, write them all down, let that weight down on paper. You might end up with some pretty usable stuff, or... with a bunch of nonsense that didn't belong inside your mind to begin with.

Choose all the good info and prioritize it. Having things written down brings more clarity and space, helping your mind deal more easily with ideas and creative processes. Remember to also let go of the ideas that are no longer relevant to your current situation. That doesn't mean you abandon them forever, you just save them for later. 

2. Have "no info consumption" pockets of time.

Have morning and evening rituals that don't involve any social media, screens or work. Allow yourself to relax into and after your day. Build habits like doing some light stretches, taking deep breaths, taking a shower and then a light and healthy meal. Use these pockets of time even for doing the "brain dump" I was talking about before.

Get outside and take a brisk walk to clear your head. Spend time with friends and family and take your mind off your work for a few hours. Whenever you force a machine to work, it brakes down. The same is true for your mind and brain. Give them a rest and come back to your projects feeling refreshed and ready to work.

Giving your mind a rest is proven to help you relax and actually be more creative. You have time to unwind and take care of yourself, your relationships and your body. When the mind races, the body suffers, because it gets tense and not used to its highest potential. Witch brings me to number three...

3. Stand still, be mindful, and pray***

Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Become aware of that avalanche of thoughts and steer them away gently one by one. Focus on deep breathing and on gradually relaxing your body, beginning with your legs and going up towards the head. It will take some practice, but it will gradually pay off all the effort you might have invested into it. It can get frustrating and even impossible at times, but the trick is to commit to it and do it daily. 

Our brains work in synergy with the mind. In fact, our minds are a complex web of neurocircuitry made out of synapses, connections between brain cells (neurons). The more we use our minds and the more information we consume, the more neural connections we create. The more of those, the more our minds grow and learn patterns. These patterns are memorized and hard to brake as they become habitual thinking ones.

It takes some effort to replace them with other, more easy / useful habits to what we need in our new contexts. We can't just snap our fingers and create a new mindset. Our current one is the product of all we've learned, done, heard, smelled, tasted, spoken and felt throughout our lives. The more we repeated a pattern, the more it stuck. Transformation needs to be gradual. We need to replace some thoughts with new ones, and that takes time.

(***more details on my perspective in a future article to be linked here)

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METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 24 - I Respect | SMart Choice Lifestyle

When was the last time you really felt like yourself? When did you connect to your inner core, to that playful, joyful, child-like energy that you thought to be gone as you grew up? It always comes back to you when you're emotionally and mentally balanced, when you're free of negativity.

It's similar to getting back to a really good mood that you feel like yourself again, ready to conquer anything. And you have that deep breathing and slight dumb smile on your face. Face it, we all have it. It's OK to have it. As kids we did more than that, we laughed our hearts out, we poured them onto the table. That was before we learned they can get broken.

Show some respect to your own heart. Like you would do to an old and dear friend, show it some love and appreciation for where it brought you. It went to war for you, had disappointments, fear, anger, skipped a beat. All that for you to be able to live the way you wanted at that time.

The true nature of our hearts is to be good, to show love, to make us compassionate and helping. To show gratitude and mercy. To correct injustice, to make people around us happy and filled with joy. It's greatest aim is to merge with the divine. And what more can we do to this world before that moment, rather that love it fully, completely and without expecting anything in return.

Respect the hearts in other people too. They might have gone through harder times still. Treat anyone you meet with compassion, with kindness. Nowadays people are bruised, cynical, fearfull and disconnected. But a good heart will always make them think. Hopefully it will make them ask questions. Ideally, their own enclosed hearts will begin to shatter the wall they've built up. 

Respect is nothing but a big admiration for other's achievements, abilities or qualities. Respect is a form of love. Love for others, love for yourself.

That is all for today's article. If you want to know more about HOW to begin the process of respecting your heart, let me know in the comments below.

As always, transformation happens from within.

Have a wonderful day,

Denisa

METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 23 - I Surrender | SMart Choice Lifestyle

Some time ago you got scared of being emotionally hurt. You were afraid of showing your vulnerability and kept it locked inside you. That didn't allow you to be put in any vulnerable situation, where you depended on other's acceptance, mercy or attention. You fought back whenever that happened. You were getting way to cautious.

Until you understand that sensibility is in fact a strength that allows you to deeper understand and empathize with people and the world around you. You understand that all this time you were just blocking your natural way of being: compassionate, warm, giving, in fear of what others will say or do. Who cares?

Nobody looks that closely at you... not so much time anyway. We are all self-focused. We only hear others out, take them into account when they make it personal, when it involves us. Either through love or hate, we are activated by what others throw at us. Hate and anger made us close in the first time around. How about opening our hearts and give some kindness and compassion instead?

So, another two lessons here: want to involve people in your cause? Make them care, establish a connection. Want everyone to leave you alone? Stop reacting to them, interrupt that connection.

Stop resisting to what you feel inside. Give your heart the power to make your life brighter. Allow yourself to give parts of you to others. It feels wonderful to make people smile. It's humbling to find out that you've motivated someone to not give up and move onwards with life. You might cry in either one of these moments, but surrender to that to. It's authentic.

Feel free to be your own self. This world has to many masks going on already. A mask, a standardized human being never amazed anyone. Surrender to your true self. Surrender to being alive and living the best life you can possibly offer to the world around you.

That is all for today's article. If you want to know more about HOW to begin the process of surrendering, let me know in the comments below.

As always, transformation happens from within.

Have a wonderful day,

Denisa

METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 22 - I Am Focused | SMart Choice Lifestyle

The fireplace has always been a central focal point of every home or community for ages. It brought heat, food and a means to socialize and tell stories. At its root, the term "focus" literally means "domestic heath" (domestic fireplace floor). To focus means to pay particular attention to something or someone. 

When you're blocking out everything else and concentrating on just one thing, you know that you're focused. What happens when you're so into doing something that you become oblivious of all other stuff around you? Time flies by.

Focus compresses time. When you're caught up in experiencing / doing a certain activity, you understand that all things are relative, given the situation you find yourself in at a certain moment.

It's all a matter of perspective, of how you perceive what's happening. It's a matter of how you choose to see your reality. In this particular situation, we talk about time, but the relativity applies to how you define a situation to be real, how you picture it to be, to what emotions, beliefs or actions you associate to it. It's all about what choices you're making.

We can't make every decision right, but we can train to get the majority of them done the smart way. Be aware of your feelings, actions, consequences and surroundings. Get informed, ask questions and then focus on doing things right. Focus on bringing more good into this world.

You have your very own fireplace inside you. It's the place from which every emotion pours out of you when you feel, the place you feel broken when you get rejected or get the impression that you don't belong. That inner fireplace is your heart. With every beat it tells your story, it gathers your experiences. 

We all have an infinite amount of love inside. For others and most importantly for ourselves. You might not be aware of this yet, but love is in your heart. Your self-confidence might be low, but you still care about yourself and what happens to you. Take time to go deeper. Take time to focus. You'll be surprised of how much you actually keep locked inside.

It's a different process for everyone, it might take longer or happen very quickly. The main idea here is to start. Come back to your inner fireplace. To your inner focus. Then write down what happened. It will be your most cherished memory, I promise you!

That is all for today's article. If you want to know more about HOW to begin the process of inner focusing, let me know in the comments below.

As always, transformation happens from within.

Have a wonderful day,

Denisa

METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 21 - I Enjoy | SMart Choice Lifestyle

To enjoy means to like what you're experiencing. To feel joy and to be at ease. To give joy to others. When the mind is wondering and stressed, you're basically not there, not in the moment. That leads to automatizing your actions, which in turn don't give you any joy, getting you frustrated pretty quickly.

We all get that tendency of doing things a certain way, not because our lives depend on it, but because that's what is expected of us. Expectations are (most of the time) the root of getting disappointed. In a world so diverse, projecting a subjective (wanted) outcome onto situations and people you cannot control paves the way to getting hurt.

Of course you can still trust people and situations and predict their actions and outcomes in relation to you. I'm just saying that it's often best to allow space for flexibility and adaptation. The world around us is constantly changing. Grabbing hold of only a certain point of view can be damaging.

Situations have multiple versions and different outcomes that not always depend on your input. Accepting that is the first step you can do to have more ease and peace of mind. Humans are adaptable creatures, you are able to get passed something unexpected. You get better at it with time, true; but the real insight here is that you are able to do it!

There can even be thoughts of giving up your activity, because you are not getting what you want from it. Here's what I think you can do. Take time for yourself. Let all thoughts and worries melt away. 

Begin moving your body, stretch it out. Let go of judging that you're stiff, tight or unable to do x or y things. Focus on what is available to you at this time and find joy in that. Like what you do. Breathe. 

Find what makes you feel good in that moment, what gives you the satisfaction of getting a thing done well, not what keeps you from doing it perfectly. Life is not about perfectionism, but about finding the imperfections, about finding how and why you react a certain way when you can or can't do a certain thing. It's all part of a process.

It's about ups and downs. Basically, it's a rollercoaster. Remember what I said about trusting the outcome (click HERE)? Keep at it, have faith. Do your best and see how it all turns out. You'll be surprised on how different each moment will be.

As always, transformation starts from within.

Have the most wonderful day!

Denisa

Embrace Yourself as a Whole: Body, Mind and Feelings

To embrace usually means to circle around with the arms, to give a hug, to show affection. It also means to include as an integral part, to unite, to see as a whole. 

When do we usually give affection? We tend to protect and look after the things we care about. 

Keeping them safe and well becomes a goal in itself. We do this with our relationships, our social image, our phones, cars, houses and even our clothes. 

But the things that tend to be the first ones we neglect and / or take for granted are our bodies, minds and feelings.

The body is a complex, delicate yet powerful mechanism we have to face life with. It gets to do all the heavy duty tasks. We ask it to perform smoothly, with rushed meals and often inadequate sleep, in a continuous search for goals, targets and life experiences. When it makes a mistake, we backlash at it. You know, we have that negative self-talk inside our heads.

Speaking of heads. Inside of them is another amazing piece of equipment that we aren’t even aware of most of the time: our brains. All that we are, all that we know, do, like, feel etc, exists because of all the billion neural connections and constant electro-chemical exchanges between the synapses, in response to our bodies’s contact with the outside world through hearing, sight, touch, taste and smell.

We need to become aware about the fact that the body and the brain are connected. That the things we experience and the things we think and feel are influencing each other more than we think.

Multiple sclerosis forces us to pay attention to this connection, it signals that our entire system has gone haywire and that we need to rebalance it through affection towards ourselves.

We are not robots in this postmodern world. We think, we feel and we react. Get out of autopilot and start paying attention to your sensations, to each movement your body makes, learn about how it all binds together.

This week, I invite you to embrace your body as a whole. To start healing it with food, exercise, rest and mindfulness. 

I’m taking the same path as you. Let me know if I can help.

We are what we do, think and feel. Focus on the blessings you had in life so far. Pay attention to what your heart really wants you to achieve. It must feel real and strongly motivational.

And if you don’t find the so-called purpose in life, don’t despair. Not all people do. Or not immediately anyway. Just focus on doing good work and deeds wherever you go. Focus in giving it your all, be it in work, relationships or inner thought. Embrace your inner self.

As always, transformation comes from within.

Thank you for taking time to read this post. The following months we'll go deeper into what it takes to become stronger: body, mind and spirit. To become the architect of your wished lifestyle. To become #strongerthanMS.

Until then, I thank you for being here. Liked this post? Share it with friends. Want to receive more articles like this right into your inbox? Add your email to the SMart Choosers list HERE. You’ll receive every new article and a monthly Newsletter of wonderful resources and insight, to help you make the smart choices that best fit your lifestyle.

Sincerely yours,

Denisa