For us, a key distraction is to be creative! You don’t have to be an artist (as one of us is definitely not!), you don’t need to be proficient, have the right skills or the best knowledge, you don’t even need to be competent, you just have to give it a go. Sing a song, dance to the beat, draw, write, play, paint, build, doodle… and here are some reasons why.

Creativity inspires and encourages collaboration, and thinking outside the box, particularly useful in the workplace. Being creative helps us become better at problem solving, teaching us to see things differently and adapt our thinking, allowing us to deal better with uncertainty – something we all need right now!

Contrary to popular belief, we all have a creative streak and creativity motivates us to invent and innovate.

Famed psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a leading theorist in the positive mental state, describes creativity as, “a central source of meaning in our lives … most of the things that are interesting, important, and human are the results of creativity … [and] when we are involved in it, we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of life.” *

So what are you waiting for? Creativity is for everyone! Open your mind and your heart to what might be!

Don’t dwell on all the things you are currently unable to do and take this time to revive an old hobby or try something new – rock painting, mandala colouring, freestyle Lego construction, write a poem, meditate or get back to the piano. It will not only help pass the time but lift your spirits, renew your energy, reduce your level of stress and improve and increase your skills!

* Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention, 2013