
- drawing, painting, sculpting and expressive writing have all been proven to help people deal with and process different kinds of trauma, by allowing them to access and express emotions that can be difficult to articulate otherwise
- writing by hand can help boost memory and effective learning (as opposed to typing, which doesn’t have the same impact)
- play-acting or theatresports can lead to improved psychological wellbeing, problem-solving and word recall, with the benefit lasting up to four weeks
- expressive writing can help with chronic pain management
- music therapy has been proven to boost the immune system in some participants, as well as change and improve responses to stress
- expressive writing has also been linked to the increased production of a white blood cell called the CD4+ lymphocyte, which is key to a well-functioning immune system (or put another way: writing actually helps our bodies build a stronger immune system…)
- if you find yourself disagreeing with someone, choose to respond in the exact opposite way you normally would and see if the shift in perspective changes things
- take a different route to work
- spend time daydreaming and see if it allows you to reframe a problem you’re trying to solve
- get ahead on a project you’re working on, and avoid the creativity vampire that is deadline procrastination
- think about a problem you’re trying to solve before going to bed, and let your brain churn it over while you sleep
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Things to Check Out After Today’s Episode:
- On Writing by Stephen King
- Everyday Creativity – Psychology Today
- Make More Art: The Health Benefits of Daily Creativity – James Clear
- The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature by Heather L. Stuckey, and Jeremy Nobel
- STUDY: Effect of written emotional expression on immune function in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection: a randomized trial by Petrie KJ, Fontanilla I, Thomas MG, Booth RJ, Pennebaker JW
- Sign up to our new e-newsletter, The Slow Post
- US and Canadian friends, you can pre-order SLOW here
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