Reclaiming Creativity After Adversity: A Guide to Creative Self-Care

Creativity and creative expression are for everyone. It is how our soul speaks.

"Creativity is the way I share my soul with the world." - Brené Brown

Reclaiming Creativity After Adversity: A Guide to Creative Self-Care

It is not uncommon for trauma survivors to be disconnected from creativity.  It is not uncommon for adversity to rob us of basic pleasure or joy.  There is a quiet grief that comes with survival mode. One that isn’t always named, but is deeply felt. It shows up in the absence of music that was once constant and brought joy.  It is in the journal that was once engaged with consistency that sits closed and ignored in a corner. It’s in the dull ache of days that blur into each other with no color, no play, no spark. I’ve witnessed it again and again: the slow disappearance of creativity from our lives. And with it, a dimming in the eyes and a flatness of the soul.  No joy to be found. 

When life demands constant vigilance, performance, or productivity, imagination is typically the first thing to go. The part of us that dreams, that experiments, that doodles in the margins or sings in the shower becomes muted. Not because it isn’t important, but because our systems — both internal and external — have been trained to believe that surviving is the priority. That rest is indulgent. That play is frivolous. That joy is optional or for some other time or some other person.

But here’s what I know to be true: creativity is not extra. It is essential.

Creativity is how the soul breathes. It’s how we metabolize emotion, imagine new futures, reinvent ourselves, alchemize the disappointment and pain, and reconnect with parts of ourselves that trauma may have silenced. It is not about talent. It is not about outcome. It is about aliveness.

And we’re not meant to barter away our aliveness just to make it through the day.

The way our culture is set up — with two weeks off a year if we’re lucky, with praise for burnout disguised as ambition, with systems that exploit our labor and time — does not leave space for restoration, for wonder, for daydreaming. And so, we must be intentional. We must carve out room for our creative selves not just to survive, but to return, to reimagine, to remember.

Maybe that looks like:

·       Picking up a junk journal and giving your inner child permission to glue, rip, and color outside the lines

·       Playing jacks or manipulating clay with no purpose other than presence

·       Signing up for an art class with no pressure to be good at it

·       Doodling on paper with colored pens and markers.

·       Dancing in the middle of the living room floor. 

·       Listening to your favorite playlist of tunes that speak the words or sonically tap into your emotions

Tiny rebellions against survival mode. Tiny revolutions toward wholeness.

Creativity doesn’t ask for perfection. It asks for permission.

So if you’ve felt disconnected from your creative self, I invite you to start small. A minute of music. A burst of color. A moment of play. Let it be messy. Let it be yours. Let it be enough. It’s for your eyes only. 

You are not here to simply function. You are here to feel. To create. To live.

And your creative soul is still waiting for you. Gently. Patiently. Faithfully.

If you're ready to begin this gentle journey back to your creative self, here are some tiny rebellions against survival mode you can start right now.  Let this be your invitation to imagine again.

How to Reclaim Your Creative Self Today

Here are a few tiny rebellions against survival mode you can start right now:

1️⃣ Set Up a Sacred Creative Space

• Find a small corner in your home.

• Add markers, crayons, colored pencils, paints, a notebook, old magazines, glue, and scissors.

• Make it inviting: light a candle, place a small plant, add a scent you love with essential oils or incense.

• Keep it accessible and uncluttered — a place that whispers: come play.

2️⃣ Start a Collage Practice

• Gather old magazines or books.

• Flip through and tear out images or words that catch your eye — don’t overthink it.

• Arrange them on a page and glue them down. Watch what emerges.

3️⃣ Commit to 5 Minutes of Creative Time

• Play music and dance in your living room.

• Doodle while on a call.

• Fill one page of a coloring book.

• Make it a habit: even 5–10 minutes a day awakens dormant joy.

4️⃣ Involve All Your Senses

• Listen to a favorite song while you paint or write.

• Sip tea and feel its warmth while journaling.

• Notice the textures, colors, and sounds around you as you create.

5️⃣ Play Without Purpose

• Allow your inner child to come out and not care about being good at it.

• Clay, jacks, watercolors, singing — anything that brings presence and pleasure.

Let This Be Your Invitation

Your journal is waiting.Your song is waiting.Your colors are waiting.Your joy is waiting.

And so is your creative soul — gently, patiently, faithfully.

Call to Action: Join the Movement — Live Well, Live Whole

Your creativity is waiting for you — not to impress, but to express. To breathe life back into your days and light into your soul. You don’t have to know what to make or where to begin. You just have to say yes.

We invite you to join the Live Well Live Whole™ Community, where we reclaim our creative selves, one tender, courageous and intentional step at a time.

✔ Follow us on Instagram @LiveWellLiveWhole and Pinterest @LiveWellLiveWhole for daily inspiration, journaling prompts, and creative rituals.

✔ Sign up at  www.Live Well Live Whole.com to stay in the know.

✔ Share your journey with us — tag @livewelllivewhole and use #LiveWellLiveWhole so we can cheer you on.

“Because this life is your one life, to make your best life.”

Live Well Live Whole