3 Steps to Wellness with Creative Thinking Tools.
Finding Wellness Through Creativity
When I was in my darkest days of poor mental health, my head was full.
The sheer quantity of what was in there, bad or good, was too much.
I eventually realised that despite all the wonderful support and advice I received, I needed to work on my feelings and experiences. I didn’t understand what that meant until one particularly memorable day in my wellness journey.
The Tension of Growth and Stillness
On this particular evening, my circumstances became too consuming. I couldn't see any way out of my situation. I had lost my sense of self, and my anxiety became too much. I was sick of being overwhelmed, thinking, and feeling overwhelmed in my body.
Wellness Through Creativity.
It occurred to me that no amount of writing or talking was working for some reason, and what I was feeling was physical and held colour and form with it. The only thing that jumped into my mind as a relief was to create something to show how I was feeling and, in the process, get these physical feelings out.
Returning to Simplicity.
While studying Fine Art at university, I instinctively knew I wanted to create differently — with freedom, not overplanning or pressure.
Back then, creativity had become something to resent. The joy of making was replaced by judgment, competition, and the expectation to produce brilliance on demand.
So I returned to simplicity. I let go of perfectionism, ignored the cost of materials, and followed my instinct. I chose colours that called to me and let the paint move. What I created felt true — and it became some of my most meaningful work.
More than that, I felt peace. Since then, whenever overwhelm or anxiety creeps in, I know how to reset. It changed everything.
But as always, I was also thinking about others… and had to ask…
“Was this result just for me or could this process help other people, especially people who don’t consider themselves creative?”
From Insight to Impact
This creative shift transformed my business direction. After a decade in personal development, I refocused on using creativity as a powerful tool to support those feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or disconnected.
Three years on, and with two years of running Well-Being Through Creativity sessions, I've seen just how impactful this work can be — helping people process emotions, connect with others, and reconnect with themselves.
In these safe, supportive spaces, creativity becomes a language. Participants gain confidence, reduce isolation, and experience renewed motivation and well-being.
Science backs it up too — the neuroscience of creativity (or neuroaesthetics) shows clear benefits: improved emotional processing, deeper communication, greater cognitive flexibility, and an overall increase in life satisfaction.
Practical Tools for Sustainable Performance
Through years of exploring creative wellness, I’ve developed simple yet effective practices that help me stay balanced and focused — especially during high-pressure moments.
So when Jonathan Pittam of MindBody Consulting invited me to share practical, proven Creative Wellness Activities with his clients, I welcomed the opportunity. These tools are designed to support performance, resilience, and clarity — even in the most demanding times.
Activity One - Creation to explore and process
Aim: Tap into your self-awareness and help process your feelings
Key Transformation: This activity helps participants release emotional tension through intuitive, physical expression. By engaging the body in creative action, they build self-awareness, regulate emotions, and restore clarity and calm — supporting focus and well-being under pressure.
Activity process:
Choose a ‘thing’ to paint on and think about the scale for how you feel; for instance, are you feeling tight, small, precise, or larger, more agitated, and energised? Whether you're angry, happy, or sad, consider your mental state and use this process to get it out of your body
Consider the colour you are drawn to and use that you feel in your body
Use painting application techniques that get the energy out of your body that you are feeling
Put the paint on the canvas, use your non-dominant hand, and do not overthink your creation. Allow your body to work through what you are feeling
Activity Two - Directed creation
Aim: Consider, process and get everything out of your head
Key Transformation: This activity helps participants gain clarity by externalising thoughts through structured reflection and creative expression. It supports cognitive processing, reduces mental clutter, and reconnects individuals with purpose and motivation — fostering clearer focus and more intentional action.
Activity process:
Undergoing a regular mind mapping technique (research what method works for you) while considering some of the following questions can be quite a profound process
What are you struggling with? Why is that?
What is the most important thing to you right now?
Why do you like doing what you are doing?
What are the areas of life that excite and energise you?
Without allowing yourself to overthink, choose the most prominent word, an emotion, a thing, or an observation
Use this word to guide your creative process. You can use painting, collaging, or both, whatever creative process intrigues you the most, or you feel drawn to at this time
Consider what visual aspects jump into your mind when you consider the word, and allow those thoughts to flow through with colour and movement choice. Explore and experiment with the word and the different processes
Activity Three - the Vision of Your Values
Aim: An honest, practical, enriched, value-driven approach to life
Key Transformation: This activity helps participants identify core personal values by transforming frustrations into clarity. Through creative visualisation, they align daily decisions with what truly matters — leading to more intentional choices, stronger self-leadership, and a clearer sense of direction.
Activity process:
This is a two-part process: Value Development and Value Visualisation
Not as an expression of manifestation but a reflection of what is important to you. Helping you get clear on what your values are and how to incorporate them into your life.
Value Development - Consider areas of life that annoy you. Bullet point all of the areas of life that make you angry. Think about at least 5 to 10 points. Don’t worry; you won’t be in this headspace for too long, but this process is necessary to identify what is most important to you
Now, take each point and think about the opposite of that anger point. Making lemonade out of lemons… These are your values
Value Visualisation - Take each value point and find or create images that illustrate your value points. You can use painting, collaging, or both, whatever creative process intrigues you the most, or you feel drawn to at this time
Consider how you can incorporate these aspects into your life. You can incorporate these images into a wider collage that is an overview of your values and, in turn, a vision of what life can be when your values are adhered to and achieved with your decisions
Personal growth, final thoughts.
It's wonderful to explore these processes in the comfort of your own space, and it’s also wonderful to explore these processes with other people—to learn, enrich, and grow with insights and perspectives from others.
It is with this in mind that I have also developed valuable group experiences which add an insightful dynamic to the whole process. Going through guided and supported creative processes is a deeper way.
What’s next?
I hope you find these activities helpful. I welcome any feedback on how to strengthen the processes for people in the future.
Looking to reconnect with your creativity in a grounded, supportive way? Take a look at our Wellness Sessions designed for clarity and calm.
You can also check out published research: What are the Barriers to using creativity for well-being? This was conducted in 2024 with the support of Coventry University.
Do you have any thoughts on this topic? Have you struggled and managed to combat overwhelm with different activities? Feel free to comment, connect, book a call or email me.
At Dynamic Potential Academy, we help leaders and teams turn insight into action — with practical training that blends emotional intelligence, neuroscience, and creative strategy.
Explore our three core programmes:
Empower (Creative Leadership) | Thrive (Creative Wellness) | Unite (Team Building)
🔗 Discover what’s possible — or get in touch to start a conversation.
I hope you’re enjoying the rollercoaster of life.
Donna ♡
Feel free to check out my other blog posts for more thoughts, tips and tricks.
If this resonated with you, you might also enjoy ‘The Wisdom of a Beautiful Soul’.
