I think the day right after a big holiday is one of the best times of the year to practice full-on creative rest. It’s just before the end of the year when your mind shifts into reflection mode and you are able to see what did and didn’t work for you with more clarity and objectivity. You are also looking ahead to see what seeds you may want to start planting in the new year, allowing yourself more permission to dream and explore.
But before you jump right back into action mode, a small creative rest is not only natural as part of the holiday season, it’s vital to the inner you. And, a respite this time of year is even more powerful because it’s a global action — in a way. As day-to-day business slows down and people go more within or connect with loved ones, you can almost feel a collective sigh of relief from the frenzy.
A Collective Sigh of Relief When the Whole World Takes a Creative Rest
Even though Christmas is not necessarily celebrated by everyone around the world, this immense consumer holiday does have the power to transform the pace of life in many ways because it gives the world an “excuse” to step away from “business as usual”. After Christmas things are slower. People are visiting family and out of touch. Email inboxes fill up, and it’s all expected. It’s a time of year when you actually feel you have a valid enough excuse to unplug, relax and worry about things another day. And it’s also when you can feel more in touch with your true creative self and expression as your brain steps out of the “doing” mode.
The interesting part to me is how often this way of being is only acceptable around the holidays. Over stimulation and stress easily takes over your inner drive to create, as well as the time you would use contemplate life and play. And while people often lament about how busy life gets, the holidays seem to be the only time we allow ourselves any slack to just be in the moment and enjoy what’s right in front of us — great food, friends and family or the way our heart swells when we reach out to someone else in need.
Take the unique energy this time of year and decide to take a creative rest and play. Simply eat, sleep, dream and be — then write about what you see. When your mind is turned “off”, it allows you to open up new avenues of inspiration, and makes creative rest a springboard for a whole new flow of ideas and personal insights in the new year.
Photo credit: Ian Bothwell