What To Do When You Can't Get Anything Done

As I waited this week for the creative burst that usually comes in order to write to you, I eventually realized it wasn’t going to happen. My anxiety about the post-election drama is thwarting my creativity. I can feel how there is no room in my brain for new energy and ideas. So this post is about what I did instead.

I know I’m not alone. As I’ve said before, it’s an anxious time, and even if you’re able to successfully tune out politics (which I am not), if you’re like most of my clients, you’re anxious for work-related reasons.

Anyway, here is what I did yesterday when I could do nothing else (Wednesday is a family day in my weekly rhythm already so I had the luxury of a clear calendar). My son asked me to play with him. But I knew that playing an imagination game like trains or cars would leave me bored and distracted. I was conscious of my need to relax and get my mind off the news, so I asked him if he’d like to color.

I was surprised at how therapeutic it felt. The simple choice of what color to use where. The balance between careful detail near the edges and vigorous filling in of the middle. The fact that my brain could wander and I could have idle chit chat with my 3 year old, who was delightfully focused and calm in this activity. And the “tummy time” was deliberate - getting my body into a different shape to counter all the sitting.

The cool thing is, my brain didn’t wander too much. The activity brought me into the present. And because it did that, it served to rest my mind and calm me down.

May this story inspire you to take time to do something frivolous! If you can’t think of anything, I highly recommend coloring.