Being creative is the new meditation

We all know by now that meditating is good for you. By meditating regularly, you reduce stress, sleep better, feel less anxious, can concentrate better, etc. The benefits are clear, but what if you feel too restless to actually meditate?

I notice that I find it difficult to find the time and the peace in my body to meditate. While I was discussing this with a friend during a coffee date, I realized: when I am creative, I can also clear my head very well! For me, being creative is 'the new meditation'.

Win-win!

When I was researching scientific evidence for my own experience for this blog article, I came across several studies that confirmed this, including a study by Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions. This study showed that the stress hormone cortisol decreases significantly through painting, drawing or sculpting, and the test subjects feel happier and calmer. You don't even need to have experience with the creative hobby, even the test subjects without 'creative fingers' experienced the positive effects. So it's mainly about being creative and not so much the result of it.

The nice thing is that by being creative you not only calm your mind, it also works the other way around! So because you have peace in your mind, there is also more room for creative solutions. Win-win!

Creative flow

But how does it actually happen that you relax by being creative? When you are being creative, you can forget everything around you. Your attention is completely focused on the piece of work you are working on, which switches off all other thoughts. You get into a creative flow in which you are completely absorbed in your project. Your busy mind can completely rest for a while.

💡 Want to know more about flow? Then read: Is flow the secret to happiness?

Now, some creative hobbies are more suitable for getting into a creative flow than others. Hobbies with repetitive actions are particularly relaxing, such as knitting, crocheting, embroidery, wood burning, stamp carving and dotting dishes. Precisely because you get into a kind of rhythm with these hobbies, you no longer have to think so hard about the next step in the project.

Soothing embroidery

I recently discovered embroidery myself. I find it wonderfully relaxing to do. You are not tied to a counting pattern, because once your design is on the surface, you only have to 'trace' it with embroidery stitches. Because you do not have to count, as with knitting and crocheting, you can really relax completely. I get into a kind of meditative state by embroidering and before I know it, it is an hour later without even noticing it!