By Dayna Mason

Anytime we produce something using imaginative skill, we’re creating. Even those who don’t consider themselves creative do in-fact create. For example, putting together what we’re going to wear for the day, or playing a round of golf are both acts of creativity.

Creativity is essential to our wellbeing. A shortage of creativity in our lives can inhibit our ability to problem-solve, make it difficult to express ourselves, and deteriorate our overall life satisfaction.

Studies demonstrate that too much passive use of social media can increase loneliness, raise social anxiety, and induce envy. This is why we can become depressed when we consume often and why periodically taking a break from social media can be so beneficial.

When we replace our consuming activities (binge watching shows, scrolling social media, etc.) with something creative, we improve our mood, reduce our stress, and boost our dopamine and serotonin levels (feel-good chemicals), which over time leads to greater happiness and overall life-satisfaction.

Creating can take many forms and doesn’t have to follow any set of rules. You don’t have to be an artist. It can be as simple as packing your lunch for the day, doodling, taking pictures, journaling, gardening, cooking, organizing, or anything that puts something into existence in a new way. To maximize the benefit, the key is to find something to do that you enjoy, something you want to do. If you don’t enjoy painting, attending a Paint n Sip is not going to feel like creating, it’s going to feel like work.

Here are some easy ideas for those who don’t consider themselves creative:

• Color in a coloring book
• Try a new recipe.
• Put together a playlist of music you enjoy.
• Pick a theme to photograph and build a collection of photos (ex: take pictures of interesting doors/doorways around your community or search for interesting doors online and exhibit your collection in Pinterest).
• Pick a short phrase (ex: The smell of coffee …), set a timer (10-20 mins) and write whatever comes to mind. No editing just free-flow writing.
• Organize a closet, drawer, or room in your home.
• Get a beginner paint-by-number kit and enjoy seeing the picture you selected come to life.
• Start a group focused on something you enjoy discussing/studying or doing.

Consuming is not inherently bad for us, but when most of our time is spent taking in information or entertainment without putting anything out (creating), it’s like spending most of our time eating without getting any exercise.

Begin today … write a little note to someone you care about, organize that junk drawer you’ve been avoiding, sing in your car, or put on some music and dance around the house. Do something creative each day and watch the stress melt away as you get happy.