Your body is the vessel with which you bring your personality, ideas and creative work into the world. If it is thriving, if it is vibrant, it is bringing forth you and your work in the best of ways.
This is why it’s no surprise that in order to deliver great work and create beautiful things, we’ve got to feel good physically. Without our wellness we cannot be creating at a high level.
Think about a time when you were ill, it was difficult to be doing much more than try to get back on your feet. You had to nurture your health before you could get back to delivering something amazing!
Our wellness is the foundation of our life. We make choices all throughout the day that build this foundation. Even those of us that think we are super healthy can always look at ways to get better. I can say from experience that I can always find ways to bring more balance in my health. And when I do, I find my creative ability also increases. I have more energy, focus and ideas.
Here are a few ways to check in and step up your wellness.
If it all seems too daunting pick one of the themes below to focus on for one week or a whole month. By focussing on one aspect at a time you will start to cultivate new habits that are more likely to stick and it won’t feel so hard. Track your theme in your diary, schedule it in and make note of your progress each day.
WATER
Drink more water. Get a glass water bottle and know exactly how much water fits in it so you can track your intake. Water is an essential part of brain function and overall health. My routine is to drink 1 litre in the morning before consuming anything and then another 3 litres throughout the day. Adjust this according to your needs, I live in a hot climate and sweat a lot! If it gets boring squeeze in some fresh lemon or add lemon or grapefruit essential oils. Swap out other beverages (soft drinks or juice) for water.
FRUITS and VEGGIES
Focus on fruits and vegetables and fill in the rest with whole foods. Eat a rainbow. A study in the British Journal of Health Psychology found that eating more fruits and vegetables correlates to increased creativity and greater flourishing in every day life. Stock your fridge with what is in season and organic when possible. If possible, ditch the sugar, packaged foods and soft drinks.
WORK ON YOUR GUT
There is a lot of research being done on the correlation between gut health and emotional wellbeing. Feed your gut by adding in some fermented foods to your diet: sauerkraut, kombucha, yogurt, probiotics. Nourish the good gut flora with your rainbow diet. A good book on this is Gut by Guilia Enders.
EXERCISE
Add some sweat to your week, move how you love to move. Walk, run, swim, yoga, weight training, bootcamp classes, hiking with friends, rowing… whatever inspires you! Get sweaty 3-4 times a week for even just 20-30 minutes. It’s moving energy in the body so this is going to help with creativity, your mental state and overall wellbeing.
MINDSET
Work on cultivating positive mental habits, mediation and check-in on your breathing throughout the day. Visit Jasmine’s blog post on meditation and yoga lifestyle. Nurture your mindset with rest or try using a positive mantra.
ESSENTIAL OILS
Create rituals that add focus and emotional balance by using essential oils. Essential oils can be diffused, used topically or internally. A study in the European Journal of Integrative Medicine show that essential oils reduce stress and improve sleep quality. In my experience they are part of supporting your body’s system in healing. My favourites are Peppermint and Lavender.
BIOPHILIA
Biophilia is a fancy word for humans connecting with nature. I first read about it in a Lola Berry cookbook. It’s true that we feel more in tune with ourselves when we get outside. Get out in nature. Get quiet in the outside world, it’s the ultimate healing to get aligned with yourself and the outside world. Breathe in fresh air. Nature is always communicating and bringing itself back into balance and just being in it helps us too. Find an activity that takes you outdoors: exercise, hiking, gardening or picnics.
I hope this post inspires you to step up your health so you can be the best vessel possible for your creativity to flourish!
And A HUGE THANKS to everyone who has listened to my latest release on Spotify! If you haven’t had a listen yet click here to give it a spin ♡
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