6 Ways To Get Inspired Fast
Prefer audio? You can listen to 6 Ways To Get Inspired Fast right now on the Joy Rally Podcast!
Do you ever feel like you’re just in a slump?
If you are a human being, the answer is probably yes. And if you’ve never been in a slump, I need you to be my counselor, my life coach, my mentor, or my guide. Where have you been my whole life?
Okay, so if you’re like the rest of us, you’ve been in a slump before. A lot of times our slumps happen after a super busy season. Sometimes they hit after a holiday when we’re just completely spent and exhausted. We hit slumps in the wintertime when it’s cloudy and it gets dark at 2 PM and it’s cold outside.
I personally hit a slump every day at about 3 PM, when I just want to lay down, kick up my feet, take a nap, and not do anything for the rest of the day.
Maybe it’s happening to you in your relationships, in your friendships, or with your family. You’ve probably had slumps in your work. If you’re in school you’ve had times where you just don’t want to study or you cannot focus or retain information.
“The great news is that a slump is never the end of the story.”
Slumps happen. No matter what Instagram tells you, no one is at their best all of the time. But how do we combat the slumps when they hit? Or should we just lean into them?
The great news for all of us is that a slump is never the end of the story. If you’re a creative person and you hit a creative block, that block is not the end of the story.
When you’re in a slump, it’s super easy to feel like that’s how things are gonna be forever. Like, it’s never gonna get better.
I’m always gonna feel like this.
I’m never going to be creative again.
I’m never gonna have good ideas again.
STOP YOURSELF. There’s good news. There are actually things we can do, RIGHT NOW to crawl out of a slump. The key? Being proactive about doing it and taking action when we realize that we need it.
How to get inspired fast
1. Rest.
Now, the biggest thing, the number one thing that you can do when you’re in a slump is let yourself rest.
When God created the world, on the seventh day, He rested. On the seventh day, He didn’t say, “Hmm, what else can I do? How can I keep working? How can I make everything I just did better?” He literally stopped and did nothing. It’s why The Sabbath exists. Sometimes, your slump means that you need to rest.
If this is for you, you probably know it. When you read that you probably felt it in your gut because it’s so hard for you to stop and rest. Just stop! The world will not end if you give yourself a break. Whether that’s giving yourself the afternoon off, finally taking a vacation day, or asking someone to watch your kids for a couple of hours so you can just take a deep breath. Sometimes your slump means you need a break.
The world will not end if you give yourself a break.
2. Get some fresh air.
For me — this is number two — fresh air can do wonders for a slump. Take a walk. Go outside. Do something physical outdoors. Getting outside in nature, and can put things in perspective for you really quickly.
When we had a dog — rest in peace, Izzy — I would just take her on a quick walk, just to stop looking at my computer screen and look at the trees around me. Take a deep breath, breathe in some wonderful air, you know what I mean? Be reminded of how small you are. You need that. Take a walk if you’re in a slump.
3. Take a bath/shower.
This is a weird one but, for me, there’s something about taking a shower that just clears my head and gets my creative thoughts flowing. I don’t know if it’s the water, I don’t know if it’s the heat of the water, I don’t know what it is. But seriously! If you’re in a slump, or you need to be refreshed, try taking a quick bath or a quick shower. Go for a swim. There’s something about water that’s just renewing and refreshing. I feel weird saying that, but honestly, it’s one of the biggest things that I’ve found can flip my mood really fast. So take a shower, right?
4. Journal, journal, journal!
If you’ve ever been to counseling or you’ve met with someone to talk through your stuff – this is one thing they tell you is a great tool. Journal. Write down what you’re thinking and what you’re feeling. Write down your thoughts. Even just getting that out, whether you’re typing it out or it’s on paper, getting those things down on paper can make a huge difference in the way that you feel.
Don’t be afraid to even just chicken scratch your feelings out. Nobody has to be able to read it. it’s just for you. There’s something about getting your thoughts out of your mind and onto paper that starts to clear the fog, for real.
“There’s something about getting your thoughts out of your mind and onto paper that starts to clear the fog.”
5. Meet up with a friend.
The next thing I’ve found that really makes a big difference is meeting up with a friend. Talk to somebody. Sometimes we’re in a slump because we’re too stuck in our heads and we have so many things flowing through our minds. All we can think about is ourselves – our junk and our stuff. It blocks us from getting beyond ourselves to that next thing. So sit down and talk with a friend. Have a conversation. Call somebody on the phone that you haven’t talked to in forever. Shoot somebody and text and just say, “Hey, how are you doing? What’s up with you? What’re you up to lately? Do you want to meet up for coffee?” Whatever.
What are you going to talk about with this person? Don’t worry about that until you get there. Sometimes human connection can break through our slumps blocks for us. It’s super important to connect with other people because when we do, it helps us to refresh and recharge. It reminds us the world isn’t only about us. And when we connect with other people we grow.
6. Create something.
Last, but not least, a really great way to get inspired is to create something. Now, this may feel counterproductive like you’re like, “Hey, I told you I’m in a slump. I blocked and I can’t create anything.” But when you create something, it helps your brain to say, “This is what I do. I create.” When you make something, it starts the process and helps you to keep going.
Take out a piece of paper and a pencil and draw a picture of your house or your dog. It can suck bad. It doesn’t matter. You don’t have to know how to draw. Sing your favorite song. Take out your kid’s paint set and paint something. Write a poem or a short story.
Whatever you’re creating doesn’t have to be good. That’s one big thing that I think we forget. Just the process of creating can help you get out of a slump. The process of creation itself helps you to become more creative. I don’t care what you do with whatever you create. You can write a stupid five-sentence poem and then flush it down your toilet for all I care. The fact is that you did it. The fact is that you did the practice, you did the work, and it’s gonna help you in the end.
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I hope that these quick tips will just help to kind of jumpstart you wherever you’re at right now. If you’re feeling stuck, it’s still early in the year. I know we have a lot of ambitions, goals and things we want to do. But it can feel hard to get started when you feel stuck.
So if that’s you, I would highly recommend that you try one of these things this week. They really can make such a big difference. Let me know if you try any of these. I’d love to hear about what works for you.
And if there’s something that I didn’t mention and you’re like, “Boo, this is better than everything you just said in this podcast episode,” I would love to hear that too!
Shoot me a DM on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you anytime.
I’m cheering you on, and I think you are awesome!
<3 Abby