All Peopled Out Doormat
I was always the kind of kid who was totally happy entertaining myself. I was lucky enough that I had a ton of space to do it- our massive finished basement, my cozy pink and green bedroom, an acre of yard. The basement became a barn or a path for a traveling caravan, my bedroom became a fort or a church, and the backyard became a circus complete with an elephant (the neighbors’ golden retriever, Nugget). Those are just a few examples of the worlds I would create, sometimes with Candace but often on my own.
We live in a time where people-ing constantly is the norm. Wake up- check email. Get a text from the boss on my way to the bus. Make sure to Instagram SOMETHING and don’t forget to engage. Spend all day in the office putting out fires and answering phones. We’re always going, always communicating and I don’t think we give ourselves enough time to breathe, to be on our own.
During my commute on Monday, I tried something. I put my phone away, besides the headphones playing light meditative music. I took out a book I’d halfheartedly started but really wanted to read. (After Perfect by Christina McDowell, in case you want to read along with me!) Why didn’t I make that time for myself before? There’s literally no reason. I put myself in another world. And by the time I got to work, I felt refreshed because I had retreated for a little bit.
I’ve also started journaling every day. For a time, I was forcing myself to write a page in journal every night before bed. I’m not entirely sure why I stopped, but I did, and for too long. Recently, I discovered an Instagram account, newmoonjournaling, and I’ve been following Ashley’s prompts to get myself going. Even if I deviate from her prompts, I’m at least prompted to start getting words onto paper. I even cut out the prompts and tape them into my journal so that when I go back I can see what’s inspired me to write.
I guess my point is that while it’s so important to get inspiration from and be lifted up by your people, it’s OK to get peopled out. It’s healthy to look inside yourself to get your own creativity going. You need to create a safe space for yourself within yourself.
What do you do when you get peopled out? How do you nurture your own imagination?
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