Wanna Feel Better? Shift Your Focus
Welcome to this week's blog. How are you feeling these days? I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like things are out of control. Maybe it’s because of the massive amount of information we have access to now. Or maybe it’s the pervasive nature of social media. I’m not sure, but would it be helpful to hear my approach when I’m feeling out of whack? Tony Robbins once said: What you focus on is how you feel. I’ve taken that to heart and here’s how it helps me navigate tough times.
If you’re anything like me, you may notice that after catching up on the day’s news, you don’t feel so great. You might feel more anxious, more depressed, more overwhelmed. This is in part because the news is almost always focused on something bad. And that makes us feel bad in one way or another.
I have three tips that I want to share with you today about how to get around this or how to shift your focus in order to feel joy or excitement instead of fear or anxiety. These tips work for me and I hope they will work for you too, especially if you’re feeling creatively stuck.
Tip number one is to shift your focus.
In order to shift your focus, you need to know and observe what it is that you're spending a lot of time on. This is a good practice to do periodically. Check in with yourself and make note of how you are spending your time. Are you on social media a lot? Do you spend a lot of time watching the news? Pay attention and make some notes for yourself.
Once you realize some of the major activities that take a lot of your time, think about shifting your focus to other things. Can you cut back on watching the news and spend a bit more time doing something creative instead?
Tip number two is to focus on something positive.
We're heading into the holiday season. Holidays bring their own mix of joy and stress. Now’s a great time to lean into gratitude and also to take stock of the progress you’ve made this year. Whether that’s creating new surface pattern designs in Adobe Illustrator, learning how to use Procreate on your iPad, or renewing your love of watercolor painting, it’s important to celebrate progress.
It’s a great feeling to reflect and celebrate: “Wow, I actually learned a lot of really cool things this year!”
Tip number three is to reinvest time in a creative task that you love.
Invest a slice of your time and energy into a creative endeavor. Black Friday is right around the corner so pay attention to the great creative classes and memberships that people are offering. I have two special offers right now. My Surface Design Bundle and my membership Anne’s Atelier. Check them out to see if one is exactly what you need right now to support your creative practice.
Let me know which tip resonates the most with you. Let’s shift our focus and bring more joy into our lives. I can’t wait to hear from you.
xo,
Anne
P.S. Don’t forget that I’ll be live this Wednesday at noon pacific time on my Facebook page or on my YouTube channel. See you there.
Remember,
It’s Never Too Late to Create
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MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
