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7 Dec 2021

Dealing with the noise in your head

By Stephanie Christie

Creative Development & Creative Coach at Creative Waikato

There’s a lot going on at the moment. Many of us are experiencing the turbulence as a kind of “noise” in the head, overwhelming and distracting. This can make it hard to go into the creative zone. It’s difficult to shift from this generalised anxiety into the focused state required for creative work.

If you’re experiencing this, one thing that can help is to take the time to make a still space in yourself before you engage with your creative work. Think of whatever you’ve found helps to calm your mind and relax your nervous system.

This might be:

  • Going for a walk
  • Saying a prayer
  • Lighting a candle and breathing deeply for a few minutes – whatever will help you to separate from the normal world and be still.

This builds a bridge to the creative zone.

Another thing that helps is to put boundaries around what can have an impact on you. Notice and think about the sources of the “noise”: the triggers for the anxiety, upset or overwhelm. It may be spending time on a specific online platform, having a particular kind of conversation, or simply being in a certain environment. Identify the sources that affect you most. Then, come up with ways to reduce or limit the time you spend in these spaces – at least for a while.

It matters that you take care of yourself. Going into the creative zone is something that is an important part of wellbeing for many of us. You can intentionally protect this by cutting back the noise in your head, making it easier to do your creative work.

Stephanie is available for free creative coaching sessions through Creative Waikato. To book yours – contact stephanie@creativewaikato.co.nz