I get it. You don’t come to this blog to hear about self-care tips or anything like that. But did you consider that engaging in self-care is important to your creativity?

It is.

Here are five reasons why I believe you shouldn’t ignore self-care. (And I’m talking to myself as much as to you as well.)

1. Stress.

Think about it for a minute. When you;re stressed out, overwhelmed, or sick, your creativity stops. If you view your creativity as just a hobby, you might think this isn’t that big a deal. It’s more important than you realize. Why is the next reason.

2. Creativity itself.

Yes. Creativity itself can be an important part of self-care. If you ignore the creative aspect of our life, you’re cuttig yourself off from a great source of inspiration and relaxation. Even if you’re a professional creative, creativity is an important part of your self-care. Maybe more than if you have a more mundane/traditional 9-5 job.

3. Mental well-being.

I’m not a counselor/psychiatrist and I don’t pretend to be. I haven’t done the research into endorphins or seratonin or anything like that. I’m going based on how it works for me and second-hand reports from friends. Doing something creative can help your mental well-being. Recently, I had to have physicl therapy for tenodonitis in my left wrist. I had talked to the therapist about things I do, including writing and crochet. He said that I might need to slow down for a while, but he wouldn’t ever say I needed to stop completely, especially for something so important to my well-being.

4. Socializing/sense of belonging.

There are some groups that exist around getting together to do or talk about a creative outlet that you enjoy. I am a member of writers’ groups and knitting/crochet groups that get together for this exact reasons/. There are many more, I’m sure, around other creative pursuits. I mention this because although alone-time is good for self-care, so is interaction with other people. Especially if you work alone most of the time.

5. Self-Indulgence.

I hestitated to mention this one. i don’t want you to think that self-care is a bad thing because it encourages selfishness or anything like that. But sometimes the best reason to do self-care is because it’s something you want to do. You want to treat yourself to a mani/pedi or a massage, but such things seem indulgent. So do it. It’s refreshing and you’ll feel better afterward. Feeling better will lead to you doing your work better and being more creative.

I know there are more reasons to do self-care than these, but for the sake of berevity, I thought I would stick with five.

Question of the day: What is your primary reason for prioritizing self-care?