The Sinusoidal Waveform of Thought and Creativity

The central nervous system is a very complex system formed by a network of complex neurons.While comparing a working of a set of neurons to a human physical activity, its appropriate to understand that the neurons also get tired! When we do long hours of work, we tend to get a good sleep, and so do the neurons. I'm sure you are wondering what I'm trying to talk about here. Read on..

Even the most creative people have times when they feel that their mind is totally stiff and that their thoughts are blocked. In my opinion, these are the times when the brain slows down due to over load, stress and strain. Thoughts and Creativity in the human mind is like a sinusoidal waveform - has positive cycles and negative cycles. Sometimes the human mind is highly creative, while at other times the same human mind slows down.

From personal experiences, my observation is that this (mental tiredness and retarded Creativity) needs to be given the due respect. The mind is the master of the body, and controlling the mind is good (and, its possible!), but should not be exercised too much. This can lead to adverse effects of continued mental stress and depression.

Having talked about the adverse effect of controlling the activity of the brain during such a retarded state, it also makes sense to talk about ways by which we can reduce the area of the negative cycles of the creativity sinusoidal waveform (whoops! that was a long sentence!). Here are some ways you feel better and be more creative -

• Hit Ctrl+Alt+Del on your keypad and go for a short jog/run (a sip of Gatorade after the run is really refreshing!)
  
• Switch on the TV and watch a cartoon show (Tom & Jerry is a good stress buster)
• Play golf for a short while
• If you are good at drawing/painting, indulge in some colorful painting

The above list can go on for miles. Well, although the above list of creativity boosters can be a long one, they do the same work - Refreshes (F5!) the mind. Medically, they improve blood circulation to the brain and makes it active. After a break like the above, mind gets atleast 20% more creative. This is based on repeated personal experience.

I generally go for a short 3 mile run. Trust me, the state of my mind after I'm back from the run is really something to cherish. A small advice to readers is not to indulge in any activity that involves high physical activity (viz., an 8 mile run). This can in turn make your mind tired (or too relaxed!) and you might end up sleeping.