The weight of the world has been pressing down harder than ever. A barrage of first-person accounts of the atrocities human beings (?!) are inflicting on others, carefully worded headlines that make you question if everything you’ve ever read from ‘legacy’ news providers has been so skewed (yep, pretty much!). The world is self-destructing right before our eyes. And honestly, I can’t even begin to imagine how parents and grandparents are grappling with what the future might hold for their children. It’s overwhelming, to say the very least.
In the middle of this profound global mess, a persistent and petty (in my view) impulse arises: I want to create.
Randomness: Three of Thea’s doodles from 2026’s 100 Day project
Why do I feel guilty for practising creativity as self-care?
In the face of the incredible privilege I have, to be able to go about my life while others who used to travel to work, post on social media when out with friends, dream of their future, of getting those damned financial ducks in a row to buy a bigger home, get a promotion, spend less time ‘on the daily grind’ and more time with loved ones.. have been ripped from every piece of security, every hope of ‘normality’, they ever had. Children thinking of nothing more than their favourite subjects in school have been robbed of adulthood, and in my corner of the world, my mind keeps turning to the urge to write, to make, to express.
It feels ridiculous, right? Who cares about a small piece of art when large-scale, heartless political decisions dominate the news?
The thought of engaging with the social media machine feels repulsive. My desire to create is about self-care and restoration. Creating offers a small pocket of order, a moment where I can focus my energy and attention on the tangible.. a way to process.
Creating as a way to process trauma
The desire to write, to make, to express, is about establishing a small pocket of order when everything else feels chaotic, not becoming another cog in the overall content machine.
When I engage in the creative act, I focus my energy and attention on something tangible. It’s a way to process overwhelming emotions that have nowhere else to go.
The discipline of finishing a doodle or a sentence provides a small, much-needed win.
Entering a ‘flow state’ allows the mind a temporary respite from the barrage of news, reducing mental load.
The psychology behind creative restoration – why our brains need it
In times of stress and crisis, the brain’s emotional centre (the amygdala) is constantly activated, keeping us in a state of high alert.
Engaging in creative activities, whether structured or unstructured, shifts activity to the prefrontal cortex, which handles planning and logic. The shift supports the brain’s ability to regulate emotions.
The act of focusing on a tangible project creates a temporary, safe boundary against overwhelming external chaos, helping to reduce both chronic stress and the physical toll of anxiety.
Low-barrier creative practices for high-anxiety / low-mood days
You don’t need a dedicated studio or hours of free time to practice creativity as self-care. Consider these low-barrier activities:
A low-barrier activity is one that requires minimal obstacles to start, like needing little equipment, money, or specialized skills, making it easy to begin and build confidence, common examples in fitness being walking, gardening, or simple bodyweight exercises, while in education/games, it’s about accessible tasks with simple rules, such as describing shapes. It focuses on ease of entry to encourage participation and enjoyment.
Timed brain dump/ e.g. ‘morning pages’ The Artists Way: Set a timer for five minutes and write down every thought, worry, or observation without judgment. This releases cognitive load and can be a precursor to more structured writing.
Abstract doodling (a personal favourite): Keep a small notebook and pen handy. When you feel overwhelmed, draw repetitive patterns, squiggles, or shapes. This simple, non-representational art engages motor skills without requiring complex decisions.
Digital photo curation: Spend ten minutes intentionally organising photos on your phone into albums. The act of sorting and reflecting on past moments is a gentle, structured creative task.
A 100DayProject doodle, I could call it, ‘Frustrated Futility..”.
For now:
I’ll redefine my audience (or lack thereof). This blog post? It’s for me.
If it resonates with someone else, that’s a bonus, but it’s not the primary goal. I might publish it, or I might keep it in a private folder. The act of writing itself is the ‘reward’.
I’m not fantastic with analytics anyway, but I’ll ignore the numbers. No checking page views, no tracking shares. The moment I start doing that, the pressure mounts, and the creative act gets muddled with performance anxiety.
Flowing with the unpolished nature of what I create (writing, doodling, accessories) as a direct reflection of my messy, evolving, and human state could be liberating, right? Let’s see.
Peace? Pockets of joy and quiet satisfaction come from the actual doing. It’s in the stringing together of words, colours and components, the shaping of ideas, the act of bringing something into being. The finished piece is a byproduct of that process.
It’s a plan of sorts.
Irrelevant, ridiculous? Certainly from ‘the good side’ of humanity.. that’s all we can give each other at this time, I guess.
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