Closed Hearts Shut Out Creativity

When Do We Close Our Hearts?
We close our hearts in order to prevent further pain when we have been emotionally injured. But like denial, closing the heart is meant to be only a temporary arrangement while we set up the healing process.

Why Does A Closed Heart Block Creativity?
Over time, a closed heart robs us of our enjoyment of life, our playfulness, our ability to trust, our creativity and our intuition. It leaves us in a state of disconnection from Spirit, other people, and ourselves. We feel empty and tired. It can even lead to depression.

Walling off our hearts is an all-or-nothing deal, like general anesthesia. All welcome sensations are blocked out along with the unwelcome ones. Joy, creativity, and even colors are muted. Negative emotions, which are designed to stay in motion, get stuck. Instead of being the useful messengers they are meant to be, they overstay their welcome and can even make us sick.

How Can We Tear Down The Wall, Open Our Hearts, and Start Feeling Again?
Usually we have to do this brick by brick. Even in the case of a sudden catharsis, it takes time to integrate a new way of being. Coaching can often help with this, but if the problem is deeply entrenched, do yourself a favor and find a great therapist. If you're not sure what kind of help you need, I can help you sort it out in a complimentary trial coaching tele-session; email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com.

Part of opening our hearts is learning to forgive ourselves and others. Forgiveness has been given a bad name because people think it means that we have given in and are going back for more bad treatment. But forgiveness means releasing ourselves from the energy-draining situation in our own minds. It does not always mean reconciliation with the difficult person.

Placing blame leaves us powerless when it leads to feelings of resignation and victimization. We must take responsibility for our responses and for whatever we can do to improve the situation, whether we are to blame or not. As for our own mistakes, we can use the energy they stir up to learn from them and correct them instead of wasting it on beating ourselves up.

As we open our hearts, we can test the creative waters now and then to measure our progress. Here's the good news: Just as the closing off process affects us holistically, so will the opening process! Our general outlooks will improve, along with our energy and creative output levels. Unexplained physical problems may bow out, as well, once we "get" the messages they were sending!

Closing our hearts means closing ourselves off to a full life. What will you do for yourself today to let your heart help you express all of who you are? I'd love to see your answers in the comments section!

To your happiness,
Susan