For All The Crazy, Obsessive Worriers: How To Free Your Creative Imagination To Work For, Not Against You

Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere. Glenn Turner

The beauty of being a creative person is that you have new ideas all day long - the plot for a new book while you're in the shower, the solution to world peace while you're sitting on the loo or 1001 ways to cook a gourmet meal from the left-over food in your fridge.

The downside of being creative is that you can generally open your mind to unnecessary worry because you can imagine more possibilities than anyone else.

An idle creative mind can turn against you in the most sabotaging ways; it can lead to indecisiveness, chronic procrastination or worse - getting stressed and crazy with worry about the worst possible outcomes. If you don't have a satisfying creative outlet, your mind can fill with negative and self-defeating thoughts.

Let me give you an example:

When I'm in an occasional self destructive mood and I'm procrastinating over a creative project, I start to worry about my marriage and what our divorce would be like.

I get really angry over the hypothetical fights we'd have over our (largely hypothetical) assets and the custody battles over our (as yet hypothetical) children. Crazy right? We've not even been married for two years yet let myself obsess over the demise of our relationship (and it's GREAT by the way).

Does anyone else have similar thoughts?

It might be about your health, your family or your finances. But the result is the same. Thoughts like this can be very damaging to your natural spark and potential.

The teachings of the Law of Attraction tell us that we will attract what we think about the most. This can be a double edged sword for creative people, so we have to be very careful about our thoughts.

I love coaching creative people, but this is a very common block:

What if I get really successful and then I can't handle it, and then all my friends hate me because I'm so rich and I'll feel really guilty and then I'll get a stalker who'll try and kidnap my children and basically my life will be ruined.

So, it's safer just to stay where I am.

Can you relate?

Just..... breathe....

There's nothing wrong with you. It's a blessing to be that creative! You can definitely use this to your advantage but without all the melodrama and anxiety sweats.

When you find yourself going a bit craaazy, turn it into a great learning experience. Here's a simple creative exercise you can do trick your mind and take control of your obsessing.

Say for example, you worry about becoming a crazy cat lady, all alone in your house because you completely wasted your potential. No money, no friends, thrice divorced and your looks are long gone. Got it?

Go into your vivid imagination and pretend you've time traveled into the future and you're sitting down with that crazy-cat-lady version of yourself. Really get into the details and use all of your senses - what does the cat pee-stained couch smell like? What is she wearing? Feel the texture of the cat's fur who comes to sit on your lap.

When you're totally in the dream, take her gnarled old-lady hands and ask her:

How could I avoid this happening in my life?

What mistakes did you make?

What can I learn from this?

What would you do differently?

At what point did things go wrong for you?

What is the one regret of your life?

What advice do you have for me?

Can you see how this would calm that mind of yours and make it a totally fun exercise?

It means that you can learn the lesson without actually attracting those circumstances into your life. You don't need to be poor in this life-time. You don't need to have bad things happen to you.

10 tips to stop obsessive worrying

1. Go for a walk or do some exercise.

The positive endorphins generated during exercise make it virtually impossible to be angry, so use that time to come up with ideas that make you happy.

2. Snap out of it

Wear a rubber band around your wrist and if you feel yourself sliding into negative thoughts, snap yourself with the rubber band - it's a great habit breaker.

3. Explore the feelings further

Be honest with what's really bothering you. Are you worried about your marriage? Do you need a different job? Is it time to sort out your finances?

4. Ask yourself - what am I procrastinating?

Are you letting yourself worry over something trivial because you're avoiding living your life? What are you trying to avoid?

5. Declutter your life

Obsessive worrying is mental clutter, but there's a clear link to physical clutter too. So go through your wardrobe, clean your desk and do that filing. You'll feel so much better.

6. Do a dream board

A daily reminder of your goals and dreams can help you focus on what you really want and avoid attracting more of what you don't. Learn how to make one here.

7. Take action today towards your dream

Write one blog post, take one photo or write one proposal. You can make a great living through your passions, but you have to make a step towards it. The Universe always rewards action.

8. Meditation

Spending even just a few minutes a day in stillness will quieten your chattering monkey mind and give you some space to really create what you want.

9. Gratitude

Your life is already so blessed, so focusing on what you already do have, you'll be less inclined to obsess about what you don't. Remember - thoughts are things!

10. Book a session with a life coach

Sometimes you can't do it alone. I've got a perfect 1:1 coaching programme for creative people who are stuck and want to move to a new level in their life. Find out more.

Now - turn that imagination into gold

You're obviously creative and got a fantastic imagination. So why not use that creative energy for good?

Grab your journal and write a list of at least ten different creative projects you can start, such as:

Writing a book (a really trashy romantic one if you constantly think of your relationship going sour)
Starting a blog
Taking up a creative hobby like painting or a knitting group
Joining a book club
Finding a volunteer gardening circle
Offering to host an exhibition at a local disused space
Starting a new creative business, selling something on Etsy or Smashwords.

The busier you are using your creative talents the less time you'll spend obsessing over pointless scenarios.

Love your life and give yourself permission to be creative. Imagine what you can do with all that imagination and energy!?

Tell me in the comments - what's the thing you obsess about the most? What are you going to do about it TODAY?

Good luck,