too much in & not enough out

We are in a time where many of us have an over abundance of creative consumption. That meaning all the social media we consume, websites, blogs, TV, YouTube, magazines, books, and more. It’s a seemingly never ending supply of information coming to us.

For the last couple of weeks, I just didn’t want to think, read or hear about anything that had to do with Parkinson’s. I enjoy reading the different online forums and sites, and it helps me feel better and have more gratitude. But it was just driving me nuts every time I sat down to read something, I didn’t feel energized like I usually do. So I really thought about why, and realized it was not just about PD but about all the topics that I usually follow. I realized I was a little burned out because lately my consumption input was outweighing my creative output.

When we consume more than we create, that imbalance can make us feel like we’re on overwhelm. It’s important to try and keep up on things but it’s also just as important to spend time creating. It’s an output, a release, and when I say creating it can mean so many things. It can be time spent on your hobbies, gardening, painting, writing. It can mean volunteering or time spent investing on a relationship. It can mean your work or career. All of these things can be a creative outlet, create joy, and a sense that we are contributing to ourselves, our family, our community.

Creative consumption can be positive and we can enjoy spending time doing it but we should also check in with ourselves to see if we are creating as much as we are consuming.

~ xoxo Kai