10 Gentle Ways to Find Inspiration in Everyday Life

We all have those days (or weeks, or months) when we feel like we’re just going through the motions. Everything seems a bit grey, underwhelming, and uninspiring. If you’re feeling stuck in a rut, here are some ideas to gently reconnect with your creative spirit and find inspiration in everyday life.

Sources of Inspiration in Everyday Life:

Connect With People

It can be helpful to talk to people we know and trust about what they do when they need inspiration. It can be good to voice things we’re thinking about. Maybe a struggle or challenge we’re experiencing, or a new direction we are contemplating.

This can also inspire some ideas that might not have occurred to us before. Other people can give us a sense of generative accountability as we move forward. But it’s important to avoid talking to people who might hold us back or discourage us, as this could have the opposite effect.

Get Moving

If we’re feeling stuck and uninspired, one of the best things we can do is to get our body moving. Physical movement can help jump-start our creative energy. And by not looking directly at the problem, our subconscious mind can untangle thought webs and give us some clarity and focus. Plus, being in nature has been shown to calm and rejuvenate us.

Remember What Energises You

It’s easy to get caught up in the demands of everyday life and forget to do things that give us creative energy. We can make a list of these activities and make it a point to prioritise one today. This can help us stay connected to what is important to us and keep the flow of inspiration alive in everyday life.

Unplug From The Noise

The constant stream of social media and news is almost inescapable, but it’s important to take breaks and unplug from time to time to open space for creativity and inspiration to germinate. This can be especially beneficial for us introverts or highly sensitive people when we find the constant noise and stimulation overwhelming.

Learn Something New

If we’re looking for inspiration, one of the best things we can do is learn something new. We often get stuck in knowledge ruts, forgetting how much there is to explore. By opening ourselves up to new possibilities, we can jump-start our curiosity and creative spirit…

DON’T Learn Anything New

…On the other hand, sometimes the pressure to always be learning and growing can be draining and uninspiring. If this is the case for you right now, find ways to be content with where you are. Allow yourself some peace of mind at this moment and let go of the inner voice telling you to strive for more. You don’t have to learn anything new right now and that’s okay.

Look At The Big Picture

When we take the time to look at the big picture, we can see how our individual actions fit into a larger whole. We can find inspiration and meaning in something bigger than ourselves, which can give us some rooted energy.

Shift Your Environment

We might be feeling stuck in a rut because we need a change of scenery. Whether we’re craving a new environment or a new perspective, shifting our surroundings can do wonders for our creativity and well-being.

For introverts and highly sensitive people, a change of pace can be especially refreshing. Providing a different perspective and a gentle shift in the rhythms of everyday life.

Give Yourself Permission To Play

Inspiration doesn’t just come from other people, places, and things. We can generate inspiration through our own actions and habits, too. A big source of this kind of inspiration is play.

When we allow ourselves to play, we open up to different parts of our brain. This can help us come up with new ideas, see things in a different light, and connect dots that we didn’t know could be linked.

It’s important for all of us to give ourselves permission to play every once in a while. It’s good for the mind, body, and soul!

Encounter Creativity

The arts have always been a source of rest, energy, and inspiration for me. By taking in various forms of art, we can infuse our inspiratory system with a sense of deeper sense connection.

Other peoples’ creative work can provide us with a much-needed respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. But it can also help us tap into new parts of our own imagination.

Allow Yourself To Rest

If you’re an introvert or a highly sensitive person, you know how important it is to allow yourself time to rest. Our society’s obsession with productivity can actually make us less effective at times, especially when it comes at the expense of our wellbeing.

When we’re well-rested, we’re in a better position to notice and respond to inspiration. Our minds become clearer, and our sense of urgency and busyness slows.

Conclusion

We can open the door to inspiration in everyday life, especially once we are aware of what is impacting us right now. It’s not always easy to notice what’s going on within though. It requires us to notice what we are noticing so that we can respond in appropriate and healthy ways.

The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed or down, take a few minutes to yourself and assess your relationship with sources of inspiration.