As I sat here composing this blog, it struck me as it has many others, I’m sure, that we just don’t have much time for creativity anymore. Between our work, families, electronics, and other obligations, creativity gets lost in the shuffle, much to our detriment. Women especially have historically been stifled due to the time they don’t have. Martha Freud was said to have not only laid out Sigmund’s clothes every morning but even put his toothpaste on his toothbrush. George Sand worked late at night so as not to cut into her time spent on family obligations. Francine Prose carved out writing time in between the departure and arrival of her children to and from school.
Cooking, cleaning, child rearing, jobs and more have prevented us from really expressing ourselves creatively through art, music, or writing. It can even affect our jobs–hampering our ability to problem solve or think outside the box for creative solutions. Even famous musicians, usually having a natural creative ability, can have problems finding the time to create their art. Notably, Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen’s wife, mentioned in an interview how difficult it was for her to write the music for her solo album because her family life kept interfering and demanding her time in a way that never affected Bruce. It struck me, it’s not that we don’t have creative and talented people in our everyday lives–it’s that we don’t have the time or make the time for that creativity to flow.
Now, with more and more men realizing they need to take part in household duties, they too are experiencing the time crunch. Becoming more of a social norm, taking time for ourselves is represented as a selfish act. However, by not taking the “me time” we deserve, we’re choking out the part of our brain that thrives on creative thinking and problem solving—both necessary for getting into that “state of flow”. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is famed for identifying “state of flow” as “the peak human experience when someone is so absorbed in a meaningful task that time disappears” and believes that this state is necessary to create anything of value.
Imagine what would happen if we all just decided to take that time for ourselves? What if we were able to unlock that creative problem-solver we each have inside of us? Science has proven that making a point of taking short, intentional breaks during the day can help you tap into your best thinking. Taking a “brain break” can help you be more creative and productive at work and at home.
According to Katherine Davies, CEO and Founder of the nonprofit giving service IQUACU, “The enormous value of taking quiet time for a work break is the removal of all your usual daily noise, distractions, tasks and responsibilities. You give yourself time to unwind, rest and create space to think of creative ideas in a quieter mind. It’s a great opportunity to bring clarity to an idea, and deep thought as to how to best bring it to the world.”
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to relax, reboot, and revitalize while optimizing your brain’s creativity and peak potential, look no further than BrainTap. Imagine if you could take a mere 20 minutes a day to guide your mind from a reactionary state into an intuitive, creative state where super-learning and healing can occur. Each session on our BrainTap Pro App is designed create a calming and rejuvenating balance for your nervous system and helps you get into that “state of flow.” Whether you want to create art, music, literature or just be a more creative problem solver at the office, taking that valuable time for yourself each day will train your brain to be creative and resilient and help you become the best version of you!
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