My main question is, when this happens, how do you get yourself
out of the abyss, and back to being creative?
Sorry you’re having trouble, Helen.
When I am depressed or unmotivated, I search my mind for something–
anything-- that I do feel like doing, no matter what it is, no
matter how simple, or far from the thing I feel I really ought to be
doing. Then I do that. Then I ask myself the same question again, and
so on.
The act of getting up and doing anything makes the next thing a
tiny bit easier. If this is in the studio, so much the better, but if
it is not, that’s OK, you’ll get there.
The other thing that I find to be as close to a panacea as anything
can be is exercise. The more strenuous an undertaking you can manage,
the faster it will clear out the cobwebs, but even a slow stroll can
be a huge help. As my husband is fond of saying, any workout you
can do is better than any you cannot (he also likes to repeat the
adage that you should not let the perfect be the enemy of the good).
Lastly, I have no idea what you eat, but if you eat dairy, wheat, or
sugar-- don’t, at least for a while. All of these can be a drain on
your system, and if you are having trouble getting going on things,
avoiding them will free up more reserves to cope. Believe me, I know
this from very real personal experience, as well as from observing
others. Plus, what can it hurt? On top of the actual physical
benefits, just knowing you are doing something (even if only by NOT
doing something) that is healthful can alter your mindset and make it
easier to go to the next step, whatever that is.
I’m sure there are many strategies, but these are the ones that work
for me.
Good luck
Noel