How to Foster your Creative Side and Cure Depression
73Foster Your Creative Side: A Cure For Depression?
Are you more analytical or perhaps more creative? Are you good in math, but weak in organizational skills? Are you also confused yet? If so, then rest assured that much information can be found on studies that help to determine actually which side of your brain is most dominant. Why is this important? Because amazingly, research has determined that each side of the brain controls different "modes" of thinking and most of us prefer one side to the other! Want to find out which side of your brain dominates the other? Take the hemisphere dominance test now! Understanding whether you are a "right brained" person or a "left brained" person, in this author's opinion, can tell you a lot about yourself and give you much needed insight into your personality.
According to Neuropsychiatry, Neuropsycholgy and Behavioral Neurology, "Researchers have uncovered evidence that illnesses, such as depression, are associated with one half of the brain and that by activating the brain's healthier other half, a person's condition may improve" (March 2002). Therefore, it may be safe to say, accordingly, that when creative individuals activate the right side of the brain, or their "creative" side by indulging in creative experiences, their depression lessons! At least this has been part of my life experience!
I have been contemplating this concept for some time now and about how it may apply in my own life. As as I mentioned in an earlier post, I suffer from chronic depression. In the last few weeks, however, my depressive symptoms have been somewhat alleviated because I have embarked on a mission to re-release my creative side, or my "right brain" so to speak. I have always been very creative. For years, I played piano, guitar and as a child, accordion. I was also very involved in theatre and dance and have written poetry since I was a wee tot! Hence, I am classically "right brained". For a significant period of time, however, I stopped doing all these things that literally made me feel ALIVE! Consequently, in my opinion, I became increasingly more and more depressed almost to the point of not wanting to live! It was only when I started to get my creative juices flowing again by playing the piano and writing that I truly felt my depression was starting to lift. I have been amazed ever since!
The point of this post is as follows...If you are an individual that suffers from chronic depression, perhaps you are right brained as well? I invite you to challenge my theory and see if fostering your creative side will help you with your depression. Can you draw or paint? How about gardening or creative writing? What about trying out for a play or singing in your church choir? Anything that nurtures that creative spirit inside you will serve the purpose. Try it for 30 days and see if you feel better! What have you got to lose, except those nasty, debilitating symptoms of depression!
For more interesting articles about topics related to depression and other health information, please visit my blog at http://www.rnonline.blogspot.com/.
I would love to hear your comments about this post? In the mean time, let your creativity flow!
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Thank you so much for reading my hub. I wrote this because it has worked for me, and is still working. Next month, I am actually going to start rehearsing for a play, "Alice in Wonderland". It is exciting to feel alive again and thanks again for your comment. Hopefully, this might work for others as well.
Wow what a great article. That left brain right brain test is right on. I'm bipolar manic depressive. The only thing that gets me excited about life is creating music and new ideas..For the past 2 years I've been stuck working in left brain mode and its been hard but now I want to focus on creating. I hope you do well in your music and your creative ventures.Thanks for the comment btw I moved my comment box to the bottom, lol! newbie mistake
Thank you so much for reading my hub, good luck with your creative adventures as well. I am working on a new one, should be ready by tomorrow be sure to check back and read it it is pretty funny!
We can all use a little of the Jerricho Effect!!Thanks for the input.
It's great to see all of you responding well to creativity. When I first started out as a psychotherapist (Jungian) the majority of my clients suffered some form of depression. At one point I felt I had to DO something rather than just sit and listen, so, since my 'main' job has been writing, for many years and I specialise in folklore and fairytales I started to ask people to write up or tell me about fairytales they remembered. Then we discussed them in the sessions, worked out why they remembered a particular one etc. sometimes, they went off and illustrated them, or wrote poems. I have been absolutely convinced since then that 'depressed means depressing' - ie. we are depressed when we're depressing our creativity. That's what we're about. Keep creating and being more fulfilled.
Very interesting comment, thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read my hub.
Thanks for this hub. I just did the test and found it very interesting. NOW I know why I can be so off the air!!!
So, were you right or left brained????? Thanks for reading....I appreciate all comments...
I took the test and the results were that I am right brained. So would I then try to increase my left brain activity? What things should I try? (I was surprised by the results because I had thought I was more of a logical thinker).
What I am saying w/ this is that if you are indeed, right brained, that if you indulge your creative spirit in whatever way that is you, that it will help your depression....are you a creative person? Let me know, now I am curious here.
Hi to everyone Im a 34 year old guy who has bipolar , and you are correct , For me part of my theraphy is to be creative as Im a very left brainer person, it do me no good , It's fun if you know how to use even your emotion as a tool in creating the life you wanted.The difficult part is the other half of my brain is always contradicting what I wanted to do. But if you can practice even imagining things at first and reliven it with positive emotions , to think of doings things you will be happy doing.,then add a little imagination and you will be on your way to recovery.Also ignore what you feel if its focus on the past or the future the only chance we can give our mind to be creative is at the present moment, be well and goodluck to us all.
I did your test, and I am right brained, but only just - 10 questions vs 8 on the left side.
After being depressed for months, I couldn't figure out why. I felt guilty about being depressed when I had so many things to be grateful for in life. But everything I did was a job, or analytical. Nothing creative. I decided to learn creative writing, and voila! Depression gone. Several months later, I'm writing most days, and I have to say, creative writing cured my depression. I think that these days, where it is so easy to only do 'important' things, creativity can get deprioritised until it is gone. I realise now, that for my health, it is an essential part of the mix. I am now happy, and a better mother and wife.
Hello, so how did your experiment go with painting and drawing, would be interested in finding out, I have been very depressed for last 3.5 years, cannot work as have little energy, been on all antidepressants, and they hav,t worked, so left with little hope, I am creative, but cannot get any inspiration anymore or motivation to paint or draw, dont enjoy anything really, would be interested in finding out what helped get you going, interesting hub and look forward to hearing from you, Patrick
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Paraglider Level 5 Commenter 4 years ago
You're absoultely right about the need to do the creative things, preferably for some time every day. Sometimes, though, it's hard to force yourself to break from 'useful' worrying (e.g. about making money) to 'useless' playing (music, writing, sport etc). It can take a real effort of will to do it, especially if partly depressed. You've got to cross the 'what's the point?' barrier and just do it!