Are you a player? Move into Beginner's Mind

Have you heard of 'Beginner's Mind'? It's where we experience each moment just for what it is. We're not clouding a situation with knowledge, judgment, old patterns or story-lines, we're in a childlike state of exploration and 'newness'.  We see this a lot in young people, of course. All the world is new to them, and they're learning how everything fits together and what it all does and means. While playing, children's minds absorb information rapidly and solve complex problems.

And when we don't play?

Our creativity can feel forced. Or even absent! We're more stressed, less relaxed and have a higher chance of developing brain diseases like Alzheimer's. Problems stay unsolved, or our solutions become 'clunky'. We're frustrated, short-sighted in our outlook and shorter-tempered. Play is a crucial part of our development and success—and often a much overlooked one! Have you noticed the recent trend in colouring-in books for adults? Bookstores are brimming with gorgeous designs, and art stores are running out of colour pencils! Psychologists have explained that the action of colouring in fights high levels of stress. It takes us away from screens and returns us to a time in our lives when creativity came more naturally.  A time before we learned that perhaps we're not 'excellent' at certain things—singing, painting, writing—so we stopped trying. Over the next few weeks, I'll be delving deeply into the idea of colour and creation, and what we can do to enhance these in our lives. If you're a perfectionist, you won't want to miss the next few newsletters, because I'll take you through some practical activities to help loosen and liberate your creative muscles!

So - how about some fun 'playwork' for this week?

Why not amble into a bookstore, or visit an online shop, or even download some free pages so you can turn your hand to 'adult colouring in'? 

There are plenty of gorgeous designs for you to choose from, and there's nothing more relaxing in the evenings than curling up with a colouring in page, some pencils and your favourite music...

Spend a little time each day this week on this activity and notice how much you 'remember' about how to be creative in this way. Notice that it's okay for a project not to be done instantly. That returning to something for a little time each night is very calming and therapeutic—the perfect antidote to 'hurry sickness'. 

Enjoy! :)