Throughout history, creative people have made the world a better, more beautiful place.
Yet, we often think of creative types as emotionally fragile or mentally strange. Although there have been famous artists who suffered from mental disorders, the truth is that many others produce creative work without sacrificing their mental health. Here’s how mental wellness and creativity can work together to improve your life and your world.
You Create More Consistently
Taking care of your mental health makes it possible for you to do your work regularly. You don’t have to worry about downtime due to depression. Instead, you have the right amount of energy and positivity to create work as often as you choose. Anxiety doesn’t stop you from trying new things. Anger issues don’t sidetrack you from your goals.
Of course, nearly everyone has sadness, fear, or anger sometimes. That’s okay. If they ever get to be a problem for you or start to impact your work, you can get the help you need to get back on track. Dealing with your mental health issues may be as easy as picking up your smartphone and talking to a counselor. With online therapy sites like BetterHelp.com, you can do it easily, conveniently, and as soon as you recognize something isn’t right.
You Stay at the Top of Your Game
When you’re mentally well, your mind functions better. Your thinking is clearer, and your creative processes work better. Some days may still be better than others. Even so, your overall mental health will help you do good work all the time and achieve peak performance more often.
You’re a Great Collaborator
Some people with a flair for creativity are also gifted in working with other people. Others struggle to make connections. Yet, you need to be able to collaborate with other people, even in most creative jobs. Whether you need a financial backer, you work with a creative team, or you rely on communicating with others in any way, it’s important to be mentally healthy. Then, you’ll have more resources to accomplish greater things than you ever could alone.
You Contribute Something Valuable
Now, it’s not that someone who’s depressed, anxious, or angry can’t contribute anything worthwhile. They can and often do. What you need to understand, though, is that they did it in spite of their mental problems rather than because of them.
Being mentally healthy doesn’t mean that you have no emotions to draw on to create your art. It also doesn’t mean that you aren’t motivated to share your unique vision with the world. Far from it! All it means is that you manage your emotions more effectively during the process. You can still do great work and contribute something no one else can.
Don’t be afraid to let go of your mental problems. When you work towards better mental health, you aren’t closing the door to your creativity. What you’re really doing is learning to create more consistently and effectively, and share your process and results with the people that matter to you most.
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.