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mahabis guide // the upside of downtime
“May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back, the way it is with children.” Rainer Maria Rilke
We live in a hectic world where moments of relaxation are often limited, and those that we do have are frequently spent worrying about what's next. Although the hustle and bustle of today’s society means we don’t have limitless free time, it is important that the time that we do have is filled with a creative productivity, making it feel endlessly rewarding. We all have these moments of blissful creativity, inspired by the world around us - we just need to take the time to appreciate them. These moments of quiet enliven us, and connect us back to our true creative selves.
The time we spend on a creative project in the middle of a busy life is a moment of luxury. The benefits of creative downtime are plentiful: it’s good for the mood; we feel alive and connected; we have produced something just for us. Even the act of exercising in our downtime helps our brain to grow new brain cells, revitalising us. The joy of trying something new in our downtime is in itself an exercise in brain development - be it writing or trying out a new recipe - it all helps the brain to generate new ideas.
Creative downtime is wonderful for the body and has a myriad of benefits. Not only does it build better relationships by awakening our capacity to empathise, research has also shown that creativity in our lives increases our observational skills, our sense of wellbeing and even makes us braver.
The world of technology is left behind as we work on the graphic novel that we find inspiring, or pick up a guitar to finish that song. The range of skills we bring to our creative life reflects on our work life. Using our hands differently, and filling our minds with imaginative rather than administrative thoughts nourishes us and renews our essence. The focus on process rather than result lets us enjoy the moment we’re in. The range of small decisions we make as we connect to our creative centre leads to larger decisions. As we continue, we build confidence in the decisions we make, the result opening us to a calming awareness that we are able to deal with more than we think.
Our society may not have always prioritised creativity in our lives, but it’s becoming clearer that the way we use our time affects who we are and how we grow. It builds our personalities just as it did when we were children, playing in sandpits or with blocks, creating rich narratives from the tools in front of us. This creativity does not stop at school though. Our creative productivity enhances our abilities, sharpens and hones them, whilst also allowing us to find the balance we need in our day to day lives. The time is well spent.
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