What to do when you feel blah about everything…

Oh, y’all.

This past week has been so tough for those of us in Oregon.

Climate fires started two Mondays ago and then had so many people evacuating or on standby to evacuate.

Those of us farther away from the fires were forced to do the opposite: to stay homebound with every door and window shut tight to keep out the intensely hazardous air.

(Seriously. Portland has the worst air quality in the world right now. Not an exaggeration.)

Being an extrovert who detests being trapped, the last six days of staying in has made my mental health take a nosedive.

I know I’m not alone here.

The particulate matter in the air can cause all kinds of physical symptoms: headaches, migraines, a sore and itchy throat, congestion, fuzzy thinking, dizziness, nausea, confusion.

It’s no joke.

In addition, studies are increasingly linking air pollution to anxiety and depression.

*head tilt with a smile*

Yeaaaaaaaaah.

I can attest to feeling a certain way that I don’t think I’ve felt many times in my life.

I haven’t felt fear (although I know people close to the fires who were in a state of shock/fear UNDERSTANDABLY).

It wasn’t anxiety (although, YES. People around me were definitely anxious).

I felt helpless, trapped, sick physically, sad, and on top of ALL of that: fitful.

FITFUL.

That restless, bored, cranky, itch-you-can’t-scratch feeling that reminds me of summer vacation when it was too oppressively hot to go outside, and yet I was still too young to drive anywhere... so I was trapped.

UGH.

Over the past week, I did all of my normal self-care routines in an attempt to quell this feeling.

I even added in an extra dose of self-love to my inner child (Oh you want cinnamon toast at 10:30pm? Okay yes. Whatever you want sweetie.)

But NOTHING was working.

And that just amped up the icky feeling.

Then I realized what it was.

I’d spent six full days consuming everything in sight: news articles, facts about the fires, air quality stats, messages from loved ones, food (that I felt nearly too nauseated to eat), TV shows, and movies to try and distract me from the outdoor conditions.

And yet I’d made nothing.

Sure I was working (read: attempting to work while feeling so awful)… but what I wasn’t doing?

Creating anything.

I started working on a new stop motion project last night and voila!

My mood immediately shifted.

You know y’all, we are not meant to be solely consumers in this world.

Our true power (and purpose) is to create something during our time here.

And the creation can be anything!

A vision board, a painting, a short story, a poem, a letter with a decorated envelope to a friend, a quilt, a new recipe, a blog post, a self-care plan for the month, a room with rearranged furniture—truly, ANYthing.

But when our input becomes greater than our output?

Man.

That fitful, restless, why-do-I-feel-SO-wretched? feeling ensues.

You don’t have to be trapped inside because of hazardous conditions to try this either.

Undoubtedly you may have this fitful feeling this year while we were all sheltering in place.

When that fitful feeling rises up, try this: create something.

Heck, break out a coloring book and just mindlessly fill in the shapes with colors.

See how it makes you feel and let me know how it goes!

*adjusts researcher glasses*

I’m always curious to hear how things go for you. ; )

Until next week… stay safe and go create a little something!

Rebecca*

PS: Are you a creative who needs support, accountability, and channeling that goes on longer than a few sessions? Then I want to work with you in my six-month transformational program. Creatives are of my some of my favorite clients because Spirit has special things up their sleeves for you. Contact me and we’ll set up a time to talk.