Using Creativity in our lives to improve our ‘Work / Life’ balance

One of the major themes I work on with clients is how we balance our work and our life in a way that is fulfilling. The new buzz word in terms of how successful we are in life is to be ‘busy’. Whether this is at work, socially and even in terms of how we balance our work with wellbeing e.g. how many times are we doing yoga, eating the right food, getting enough sleep. If we are not busy, then what are we doing with our lives? Is the opposite of being busy to be unchallenged, uninspired, or lazy?

However, more and more we may experience our life balance as unsatisfying, stressful or overwhelming. So there is clearly something remiss here.

If you are very lucky you will have chosen a career which allows you to do something you love and are passionate about. I often read or hear about ‘superwomen’ (or men) who have several children, manage their own businesses and are in successful relationships. They do seem to have it all, however I do wonder how satisfying this kind of life can be. My own experience of living this life is finding very little room for myself and plenty of guilt around not giving enough or being enough for my child, family and partner..

I’m interested in how we can bring creativity into how we live our life, as a guiding force to inform us about what we’d like for ourselves. I think about creativity as an essential life force, that is part of who we are. We have it from the moment we are created, but sadly our natural urge to live in a creative and fulfilling way can be squashed, judged and diminished as we learn to socialise and fit into our worlds. How many teachers at school encouraged our daydreaming, movement or experimentation with concepts or process as a way of exploring our creative force? Also, how was our experience different at school or work when we had an inspiring teacher, colleague or leader?

As we get older we learn to find our own outlets for creativity via our friends, work, children, lovers, music, art, reading, writing, dancing and exercise among others. Yet we can give up or forget these essential ways of being as we are faced with paying the bills, responsibility and our own judgements.

In looking for work/life balance I encourage clients to look at what excites them, what motivates them, what do they feel passionate about. Sometimes this may start from allowing sadness, anger or frustration to be accepted as a way of growing the creativity in us, so we can allow space for this energy to grow and create something more satisfying.

If you would like to talk to me about creating a more positive and health work and life balance and how therapy could help, please contact me on 020 8123 7590 or abijude@hotmail.com

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/apr/24/new-status-symbol-hard-work-spending-ceos