Mental Rut Combat? How about exercise?

I take to exercise when caught in a mental rut.

If I’ve sat at this desk for too long, the words go nowhere, my blood pressure rises and I’m frustrated, I have a choice.

I can continue to stew or I can try something different.

Exercise is usually the best place for new ideas.

Here are three ways I’ve found to get out of a mental rut.

Take a walk to exercise–but bring the phone

I often need a break in the afternoon and a walk does the trick well.

I can walk and do other things at the same time, especially if I’m not worrying about falling.

Fresh air, exercise, new scenery and silence can help clear my mind.

I bring my phone because when the ideas come up–and they do–I email myself a message.

Sending the email allows me to move on to another idea–without having to worry about remembering the first.

More than once, I’ve called a friend to discuss an idea we’ve been working on together.

Movement unlocks the mental rut.

Watch for ideas while dancing

I’m not sure how many blog post ideas come during my Zumba class.

(Like this one).

My teacher regularly chastises me for not paying close enough attention to dance steps.

I try, but the music, the movement, the early morning, the need for a blog post . . . distract me!

Somehow,music and movement come together and ideas strike.

Zumba also helped me consider vacation ideas and prompted story ideas for several books I’ve written!

Do you think it’s a coincidence I began dancing eight months before my first book was published?

I don’t.

Yard work for exercise and imagination

Digging, double digging, raking, planting the garden–all provide exercise and unlock the brain.

Is it the rhythm?

(Which might also explain walking and dancing’s positive influence on mental agility).

Engaging the hands seems to allow the brain to float on currents and ideas.

(See Elizabeth Gilbert‘s Big Magic for more on this concept).

When my children were young, I spent long hours outside working in the yard while they played.

I may have been raking leaves or weeding, but I also plotted dialogue and storylines.

Gardening can provide opportunities for mental creativity, or at least ways to look at life differently.

Other exercise

Bike riding, hiking, sailing, and bird watching all provide exercise opportunities.

Leave the music behind and listen to the wind.

With nothing else engaging your brain, it can feel free to explore.

And when you’re done–you may have ideas and you may be out of your rut.

But if all else fails, at least you’ve gotten your exercise for the day!

Tweetables

Exercise to escape the mental rut. Click to Tweet

Inspire creativity with walks, Zumba and digging. Click to Tweet

Is it rhythm that makes exercise inspire creativity? Click to Tweet