Express your blessed creativity
Author, coach and speaker Cheryl Richardson says:
“The more you become your own best champion, supporter, cheerleader, and trusted confidant, the better able you’ll be to fully and joyfully express your blessed creativity.
“That’s when your art becomes more and more successful in the world. It begins with treating yourself with love, respect, kindness, and compassion.
“If you’d like to lose your self-consciousness and empower your creative spirit, start by answering the following questions: What do you need to do (or stop doing), right now, to become a better friend and supporter of yourself?
“What do you need to stop saying to yourself? What kind of encouragement do you need? Who do you need to spend more time with? Who do you need to avoid?”
From Lose Your Self-Consciousness, from her newsletter.
She also refers to the book by Nick Ortner of The Tapping Solution.
[Photo: “paint by numbers!” – By originallittlehellraiser
– also used in my article Missing or Abandoning Your Creative Fulfillment.]
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In another post, she writes:
“Creativity needs space. When you begin working on a project you’ll need plenty of emotional and physical space.
“This might mean scheduling uninterrupted time to yourself, clearing out a room to work in, or letting loved ones know that you’ll be less available and asking for their understanding and support.
“Creating anything new not only takes physical energy, it takes emotional energy. The best creative projects are birthed from a “reserve of space” not from being squeezed into a busy life. You need to make space for your dream.
From Creative Needs: How to get them met by Cheryl Richardson.
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Cheryl Richardson points out that we all have different levels of sensitivity.
“It’s the fundamental part of us that allows us to be touched by beauty, signs of grace, or intimate moments with others.
“It is also the mechanism that provides us with an internal warning signal that lets us know when we’re in situations that may be hazardous to our emotional, physical, or spiritual health.
“As we grow in our understanding and practice of extreme self care, our sensitivity level rises and we pay closer attention to what we need to feel good.”
She gives a personal example:
“Last night I went to see a movie with a group of friends. I’d heard wonderful things about the story from people whose opinion I respect, and I was so looking forward to enjoying the film.
“However, within twenty minutes of watching, I made a decision to leave the theater. I’m very sensitive to violence and human suffering and therefore my threshold is pretty low.”
From her article So Sensitive: Are you tired of sucking it up?
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Chapter 8 of her book The Art of Extreme Self-Care: Transform Your Life One Month at a Time is titled “You’re So Sensitive.”
Here is from the Introduction:
In 1994, I made a decision to hire my first personal coach. Although I thought this decision would make me a better coach myself, it turned out to do much more. It gave me a better life.
Thomas Leonard, founder of Coach University and the leading pioneer in the field of professional coaching, was the man’s name, and I’ll never forget what happened in our first session.
As I listened to myself talk about my schedule, I have to admit that I felt pretty good. There was a certain level of satisfaction that came from being needed and in demand. When I finished, Thomas was quiet for a moment, and then, with a slight edge in his voice, said, “Wow, you do a great job of taking care of a lot of people. You’re such a good person.”
I smiled to myself, thinking, Hmm, he really gets me. But what he said next took me totally by surprise: “And the truth is, Cheryl, your ‘good girl’ role is going to rob you of your life.”
A good coach focuses on the source of a problem rather than the symptoms. In my work with Thomas, I was forced to look at the truth of why I continued to give too much, usually at my own expense.
I wanted people to like me, to enjoy spending time with me, and to see me as wise and helpful. I also wanted to avoid the anxiety I felt whenever someone disapproved of something I did.
Funny, but after years of practicing Extreme Self-Care, I’ve realized something ironic: if you want to live an authentic, meaningful life, you need to master the art of disappointing and upsetting others, hurting feelings, and living with the reality that some people just won’t like you.
It may not be easy, but it’s essential if you want your life to reflect your deepest desires, values, and needs.
More from the book:
Extreme Self-Care also involved surrounding myself with people who were smart, self-aware, and only interested in two-way relationships. It meant taking bold steps, such as eliminating clutter from my life, for good; creating a soulnourishing work and home environment, and keeping it that way; getting my financial act together so that I always had choices about how to live my life; and not making any commitments whatsoever out of guilt or obligation.
In addition, Thomas [her coach, Thomas Leonard, founder of Coach University] explained that making pleasure a priority was critical for Extreme Self-Care — real pleasure, not just a massage every couple of months, an occasional bath, or a yearly vacation. It meant leaving work in the middle of the day to get out into nature, enjoying a great massage once a week, and developing daily habits that made me feel happy and nurtured, including listening to the music I loved, drinking my favorite tea, or ordering fresh flowers for my office.
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Cheryl Richardson on-demand download course from Hay House:
The Art of Extreme Self-Care: Transform Your Life, One Month at a Time
Here is a video about another program, no longer available:
video: The Art of Extreme Self-Care: Transform Your Life One Month at a Time
The video description:
“Bringing Extreme Self-Care into your life takes commitment, support, and practice.
Richardson comments in the video:
“We’re going to talk about one very specific active self-care you can practice every single month for 12 months. The reason I wrote the book that way and broke it up into twelve chapters is because it’s so easy to get overwhelmed with all the things we can do to take care of ourselves and I want to set you up for success and that means giving you just one simple thing every single month to do.”
The Art of Extreme Self-Care: Cheryl Richardson Online Course
February 12, 2014 – February 12, 2015
From the description page at Hay House:
“Are you ready to join renowned life coach and best-selling author Cheryl Richardson on a journey of discovering Extreme Self-Care?
“To find out, notice how many “yes” answers you have to the following statements:
__ I carry a lot of resentment, feeling angry with others who don’t meet my needs.
__ I expect people to read my mind and know what I need or want.
__ I often feel like a martyr who lives my life for everyone else.
__ I have many one-sided relationships where people take more than they give.
__ Sex feels like one more task on an already long “to-do” list.
__ I break too many promises to myself.
__ I have trouble getting others to share in the work load at home.
__ I give to others in an effort to feel needed, important, or worthy.
__ It’s rare for me to relax or to enjoy things that are fun.
__ I tend to settle for crumbs, yet I’m desperate for a whole meal.
__ When I’m overwhelmed, tired, or stressed, I rarely think to ask for help.
__ I secretly long to be acknowledged for all the helpful things I do.
__ People who act “entitled” make me cringe; I’m never like that.
__ I sometimes feel foolish about the ways in which I’ve put the needs of others before my own.
__ Because it’s not worth the hassle, I don’t bother to ask for help.
__ I hate disappointing people.
“If you feel uncomfortable or find yourself smiling at the number of ‘yes’ answers, it might be time to create a radical shift in how you care for yourself this year.
See her book:
The Art of Extreme Self-Care: Transform Your Life One Month at a Time.
Course: The Art of Extreme Self-Care: Transform Your Life, One Month at a Time
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The “Self-Care for the Creative Soul” retreat with Cheryl Richardson, Alanis Morissette and Cheryl’s husband Michael Gerrish took place March 2-6, 2014, at Miraval Resort in Tucson, Arizona.
Read more about their perspectives on sensitivity and creativity in post: Cheryl Richardson and Alanis Morissette on High Sensitivity.
Here is a brief excerpt from their conversation about having the personality trait of high sensitivity and being a creative person:
Cheryl Richardson and Alanis Morissette on Creativity
A page on Cheryl Richardson’s site cherylrichardson.com has the full-length audio conversation, and summarizes:
“Cheryl and Alanis Morissette discuss art, creativity, and the evolution of the soul! Listen in as Cheryl talks with special guest, Alanis Morissette, about the joys and challenges of making art, the importance of expressing our creative spirit, and what happens when you make a commitment to walk the path of personal and professional growth.”
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Video: You’re So Sensitive: The Art of Extreme Self Care
Cheryl Richardson “is the New York Times bestselling author of several books including, Take Time for Your Life, Life Makeovers, Stand Up for Your Life, The Unmistakable Touch of Grace, The Art of Extreme Self Care and her book with Louise Hay: You Can Create an Exceptional Life.”
Thanks to Jacquelyn Strickland (co-creator of the HSP Gathering Retreats with Dr. Elaine Aron) for mentioning this video on her Facebook page.
She comments that this video from Cheryl Richardson is “on the positives of being a HSP & ‘taking care of your sensitive self.’ Her book, The Art of Extreme Self-Care has a chapter on The Highly Sensitive Person, and she credits Elaine Aron in this chapter. I’m pretty sure Cheryl is a HSS, Extravert HSP as well.”
[HSS is High Sensation Seeking – see Elaine Aron’s page for more info: Personality and Temperament: The Highly Sensitive Person Who Is Also A High Sensation Seeker.]
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Also see more posts on my TalentDevelop site on High Sensitivity
Also see my page Highly Sensitive / Facebook
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Video: Cheryl Richardson on The Tapping Solution – :
To learn more about this self-care approach – including a video – see
The Tapping Solution – Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
Also see article: Counselor Rue Hass on using EFT to help highly sensitive people celebrate their positive qualities.
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Meditation
In a post from her newsletter, Richardson writes:
“I’ve just returned from spending a week at the Omega Institute in beautiful Rhinebeck, NY, where I had a chance to experience the peace and deep healing that comes with lots of meditation.
“Getting internal. Quieting a noisy mind on demand. Finding an inner home base. Calming the nervous system. Generating powerful, healing energy for the body. Feeling rested, peaceful, and clear.
“These are just some of the many benefits of meditation and I only wish I had started a consistent practice sooner.
“The process is simple. Here are the steps I shared earlier this year in another blog…
“Turn off the ringer on your phones and eliminate any interruptions. Find someplace comfortable to sit upright (preferably with your back supported). Set a gentle-sounding alarm to go off in ten minutes.
“Choose a word you’d like to focus on and keep using this same word each time you meditate. I use the word “peace” because that’s the state I’m interested in cultivating.
“Pick a word that feels right to you. Close your eyes and imagine turning your energy and attention inward. Breathe, relax, and keep bringing your attention back to the present moment by focusing on your word.
“You might repeat it to yourself, see it before you, or imagine writing it in the air. Keep doing this until the alarm goes off. That’s it. The object of the game is to return to your word each time you get distracted and to stay put until the alarm sounds.
“Now that I’ve been using this practice for a while, I feel like a high tech neural programmer who’s built a ‘personal peace app’ that can be accessed any time, any place. How cool is that? You can become a programmer, too.”
From her post: How to become a high tech, neural programmer.
The image above is from an article by Taylor Kreiss of the UPenn Positive Psychology Center. He notes that in recent years, “researchers have taken a close look at the effects of meditation on creativity, and the results have been promising… open-monitoring meditation primes our minds for idea generation, which is a crucial part of the creative process according to expert Scott Barry Kaufman…”
See much more in my article Meditate to Achieve and Be More Creative.
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Related articles
Emotional Health Resources: Programs, books, articles and sites to improve your emotional balance and enhance your creative life.
Self Care For Your Creative Life
Creating Your Ultimate Self-Care List
Counselor Rue Hass on using EFT to help highly sensitive people celebrate their positive qualities
The post Cheryl Richardson on Protecting Our High Sensitivity appeared first on Highly Sensitive and Creative.