How Midlife Creativity Can Be Your Best Friend As You Age (Your Brain Will LOVE It!)

Hey there, friend. I'm so excited that you're here today because we are diving into a fascinating topic. We are going to explore how creativity can be your very best friend as you age, helping you stay open, enhancing your imagination and keeping your brain youthful.

Because when it comes to aging, there's a common misconception that creativity is something that dwindles with time, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Creativity has this magical ability to make the journey of aging all the more exciting and interesting and refreshing.

First, we'll take a look at the three things that creativity enhances in your life and the one advantage that Midlifers have over the youngsters. Yep, I said it. We as Midlifers have an advantage over the youngsters when it comes to creativity.

I'll tell you what it is, and then I'm going to leave you with a few ways that you can incorporate more creativity into your daily life. And don't worry, they're not hard. They're simple and easy-to-do, and they don't take a ton of time.

Let's look at the three key things that creativity enhances in your life.

1. Creativity encourages openness

Studies have shown that getting your creative juices flowing encourages openness in your life, and that can increase longevity. This openness is really important because as we age, it's easy to settle into our routines and our comfort zones.

But creativity is the ultimate disruptor. It pushes us to step outside these familiar spaces and embrace new perspectives, and that opens our minds to fresh ideas and experiences. It keeps us mentally agile while making our lives much more fulfilling.

When I say this initially, I'm talking about things like singing, dancing, acting and painting, and any of the creative stuff that gives you new perspective and receptivity to what is going on in the world around you. That said, creativity is not limited to the arts.

Author and Georgetown University psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal defines being creative a little differently than you might expect. He says creativity is "having the ability to make unexpected connections, either to see things in new ways -- or unusual things that escape the attention of others -- and realize their importance."

That means creativity is pretty much everywhere we are. You can be creative at work or when you're parenting or when you're problem solving or when you're volunteering. Let's not limit creativity to those folks that we think are really artsy or bohemian. Let's accept creativity as a very real thing in our lives that we all have access to.

2. Creativity enhances your imagination

Just like creativity is a muscle, so is your imagination. The more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes. As we age, tapping into our imagination becomes crucial for problem solving, finding new hobbies and even enriching our relationships.

Creativity keeps that imagination alive and thriving, and it's imperative if you want to step into possibility. Now, y'all know I talk about stepping into possibility a lot on this podcast because you have to be able to picture your future so you can get real clarity on what you want and who you want to be become.

If you can't see yourself in your future life, you're going to struggle with getting clear on your direction. It's going to be harder, and it's going to hinder your ability to go after your goals. So your imagination plays a very important role in setting your goals and intentions.

3. Creativity keeps your brain young

Oh my goodness, creativity is like a fountain of youth for your mind. Engaging in creative activity stimulates different parts of your brain, and this includes things like improving your memory and cognitive functions, and increasing your mental flexibility. It's like a mental workout that keeps your brain in tip-top shape.

And one more thing you need to know: Your age is an asset, not a liability when it comes to creativity. That's because one part of creativity is generating ideas, but knowledge is needed to define the ideas that are going to work.

You have a wealth of midlife knowledge and experience that plays a key role in pruning out the bad ideas and nurturing the good ones. Just the fact that you've been around for a few years gives you a great eye for this. So call it wisdom or intuition, in this case age works in our favor when it comes to this particular part of creativity.

Those are three ways creativity can enhance your life, and here are five little creativity boosters that you can start incorporating into daily life immediately:

Creativity booster 1: Moodling

Moodling is basically just hanging out and letting your mind wander. When we were younger, our teachers called it daydreaming, but it's pretty much the same. However, it looks different for each of us.

For me, I love sitting in my backyard swing. I just swing back and forth, listen to the birds sing and I daydream. It may not seem like a big deal, but doing this will help quiet the noise in your mind and allow creative thoughts to flow more freely.

Creativity booster 2: Journaling

Your life experiences have given you a unique perspective on the world so you should be documenting your thoughts, feelings and memories. When you do this regularly, you're going to be surprised at how this can spark creative ideas and reflections that you didn't even know existed. Journaling is a great way to slow down and allow the creativity to come to the surface.

Creativity booster 3: Traveling

Traveling can ignite your creativity simply by exposing you to different ways of living and thinking. But here's an important thing: Traveling doesn't have to be something grand and elaborate, like a one-month tour of Europe. Even a weekend trip or a quick road trip for the day can shake things up in your creative realm and get you thinking differently by the time you get home.

Creativity booster 4: Lifelong learning

Oh, this is one of my favorites (!!!). Take up a new hobby. Learn a new language. Enroll in a course that interests you. Pursuing knowledge not only helps keep your brain sharp, but it also inspires your creative thinking.

Creativity booster 5: Collaboration

Team up with like-minded individuals or even your own family members for creative endeavors. When you combine your experiences and perspectives, you can create some innovative and exciting results that you wouldn't have had on your own.

Here's the bottom line, friend: Creativity knows no age limits. It's a lifelong companion that can make your journey through midlife an adventure filled with new discoveries and creative self-expression. So embrace your creativity and nurture it. Don't let it go by the wayside.

I hope you found this episode enlightening. I can't wait to see what happens when you take your own creativity for a spin. 

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