Energy and Flow: Working With Your Mental Health Rhythms
What does effortless creative flow feel like for you? Conversely, what does depletion feel like for you?
Have you ever noticed how your creative energy ebbs and flows, sometimes feeling like an unstoppable river, other times a stagnant pond?
Sometimes the external demands of the world cause this but just as often it's deeply tied to your internal rhythms, particularly your mental health.
In a world that often demands a constant, unwavering output, understanding and working with your unique energy and mental health rhythms can be a radical act of self-care and a profound path to sustainable creativity.
The Myth of the "Always On Creator" and Your Unique Rhythms
The dominant narrative in creative fields often pushes for an "always-on creator", someone who can produce consistently, regardless of their internal state. This expectation, fueled by societal and productivity pressures, sets us up for burnout and disillusionment.
But just as the moon influences tides and seasons dictate growth, our internal mental and physical states have their own powerful rhythms. Attempting to override these rhythms is akin to trying to force a plant to bloom in winter; it depletes energy and ultimately diminishes the vitality of what could be. Your body knows balance, and so does your mind.
Reflective Pause: What are your personal energy tides?
Take a moment to consider. When do you feel most vibrant and creatively alive? Is it early morning, late at night, or do you have bursts of energy that are less predictable? Do certain times of the month or year consistently bring a shift in your creative capacity or mood? Journal about these observations without judgment. Are you a steady stream, a powerful waterfall, or a gentle mist? There's no right or wrong answer, only data about your unique flow.
Mapping Your Mental Health Landscape: Energy Awareness
Recognizing your natural rhythms and working with them, not against them, is central to creative wellness. This is about cultivating energy awareness. It's a mindful practice of noticing how your mental and physical states fluctuate and how these fluctuations impact your creative drive and output.
When Energy is Abundant: What does effortless creative flow feel like for you? Is it a surge of inspiration, a sustained focus, or a feeling of expansive possibility? Notice when you feel most creative and honor those rhythms. This might be the time for tackling ambitious new projects, diving into complex techniques, or engaging in collaborative creative work that demands more social energy. If your energy is high, how does that translate into the kind of creative work you gravitate towards? Does it lead to rapid prototyping, intricate detail work, or spontaneous expressive bursts?
When Energy is Low: Conversely, what does depletion feel like for you? Is it a dull ache, a feeling of inertia, or a struggle to focus? This is not a sign of failure, but a signal from your body and mind. Fatigue might be asking for restoration, restlessness seeking movement, and overwhelm requesting simplification. When your energy is low, perhaps the creative act shifts from grand production to subtle engagement. Maybe it's sitting with your materials, thinking about a project, or simply resting to create tomorrow. Consider how different emotional states impact your creative capacity. For example, chronic exhaustion reduces your ability to make novel connections, the very foundation of creativity.
Creative Exploration: The "Flow Diary"
For the next week, keep a simple "Flow Diary" alongside your regular creative practice. Each day, before you begin, quickly note your energy level (on a scale of 1-10) and your prevailing mood. Then, after your creative session, jot down:
What did you work on?
How did it feel? (Energizing, depleting, frustrating, joyful?)
Did it feel aligned or forced?
Did you create from inspiration or obligation? Over time, look for patterns. Do certain creative tasks align with specific energy levels? Do certain moods consistently lead to deeper engagement or greater struggle?
Navigating the Landscape: Strategic Rest and Rhythmic Work
Once you begin to map your unique energy rhythms, the next step is to integrate this awareness into your creative practice. This isn't about rigid adherence, but about fluid adaptation. It's about moving from pushing against your nature to dancing with it.
Prioritizing Diverse Forms of Rest: Rest is not the absence of work; it's an active component of creative regeneration. It can include physical rest, but also mental, emotional, social, and even spiritual rest. When we fail to integrate sufficient rest, stress hormones literally inhibit the brain regions responsible for creative thinking. It's crucial to embrace sleep, which supports the default mode network essential for creative insights. Consider what types of rest genuinely rejuvenate your creative spirit. Is it a quiet walk in nature, listening to music, engaging in non-creative hobbies, or simply deep, uninterrupted sleep?
Embracing Slower Work and Degrowth Principles: In a culture obsessed with constant output, choosing to slow down and embrace degrowth principles in your creative practice can feel countercultural. It means valuing the process over product, and acknowledging that your creative worth is not measured by the quantity of finished pieces. This shifts the focus from external validation to internal fulfillment. For an artist, this might mean taking more time on a single piece, allowing ideas to marinate, or stepping away entirely when feeling depleted, trusting that the creative well will refill. This is about nurturing your creative process in a way that is "sustainable, joyful wellness-centered making".
Boundary Respect: Knowing When to Push and When to Rest: This involves setting clear limits that protect your creative energy. It’s about listening to your body’s signals and respecting their intelligence. Is your fatigue asking for restoration? Is your restlessness seeking movement? Is your overwhelm requesting simplification? Knowing when to pause, pivot, or push forward is an act of deep self-compassion and a cornerstone of long-term creative vitality. It's the difference between "I must create every day, no matter how I feel" and "I engage with my creativity every day in whatever way feels right".
Personal Experiment: "Rhythm Responsive Creation"
For the next month or so, try this experiment:
Identify Your "Green Light" Creative Task: This is something you genuinely love to do when your energy is high and flowing. It could be brainstorming new concepts, tackling a technically challenging piece, or collaborating intensely.
Identify Your "Yellow Light" Creative Task: This is something you can engage with when your energy is moderate or needs a gentle nudge. This might be organizing your creative space, sketching, researching, or engaging in repetitive, meditative creative acts.
Identify Your "Red Light" Creative Task (Rest): This is what you do when you are genuinely depleted. It is not "doing nothing," but actively resting in a way that restores your creative well. This could be light reading, listening to music, walking in nature, or simply deep rest.
Commit to consciously choosing your creative activity based on your energy levels throughout the day or week. Notice how this responsiveness impacts your overall well-being and the quality of your creative output.
Towards a Regenerative Creative Future
The anxiety-creativity loop often compels us to create from a place of pressure and perceived deficit. Breaking free means choosing a path of creative wellness, where you nurture your humanity as much as your artistry. It's a profound act of self-trust, moving from a fear-driven need to produce to an inspired desire to express from your authentic, integrated self.
This allows your work to become more authentic because we're accessing our full emotional range. It becomes more sustainable because we're working with our natural rhythms. And it becomes more meaningful because we're honoring the sacred relationship between creator and creation.
Want help working with these this in your own life? Sign up for my services such as a Creative Health Assessment or 1:1 Creativity Conversation.
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Thank you so much for the mention! I love the self reflective suggestions here - also discovered I already do the green/yellow/red light process without realising!