 Are you struggling with creative anxiety and feeling hopeless and overcoming it? If so, we hope today's video, 5 tips for overcoming your creative anxiety, provides you with the hope and help you need to conquer this mental obstacle. Individuals suffering from this form of anxiety often describe it as being artistically blocked or feeling anxious and depressed about their creative skills. These feelings often stem from the pressure of being in an industry that demands near perfection and puts the inner self on display for others to critique. Author Ernest Hemingway was notorious for editing his novels up until the last minute before he had to send them to the printers. Even then, he didn't feel like they were ready to be published. His need for perfection is an example of the creative anxiety that writers may experience. 21 pilot's frontman Tyler Joseph created a persona called Blurryface, who is the representation of his insecurities, anxieties and depression. The creation of Blurryface is an example of creative anxiety that musicians may experience. Artist Edward Munch, known for his painting The Scream, created this painting after taking a walk and seeing how the setting sun had turned the sky blood red. Using his anxiety to create a physical representation of what he experienced is an example of creativity anxiety that an artist may experience. Though we've seen with these creative spirits how creative anxiety can inspire creativity, it wasn't an easy road for any of them to take. The road from having anxiety as a hindrance to an aid in creativity is a long one, but we're here to help you traverse down that road. Here are our five tips for overcoming your creative anxiety. Number one, acknowledge your anxiety. The first step in conquering an obstacle is acknowledging that the block is there. Once you've accepted the presence of your anxiety, you can work towards reducing it. Writing down the causes of your worries is an excellent way to remove them from your head. Once the anxious thoughts are gone, you can focus on your work. If writing them down doesn't feel like something you can do, exercise or meditation can also help declutter your mind. Exercise releases endorphins into the opioid receptors of your brain, sending the feel-good signals they give throughout the body. As endorphins are a natural pain reliever, they aid in reducing anxiety, depression and stress. Without the weight of your anxiety pressing on your mind and body, you'll feel a natural improvement in your mood. Meditation allows you to reach a Zen state, clearing your mind and giving you a blank slate to start over. Once your mind is free from anxious thoughts, you can go back to creating something beautiful. Number two, take a break. If you're a creative professional or student, you've probably experienced burnout during your career or studies. What you experienced was creative burnout and it differs from creative anxiety. A sign of creative burnout is feeling drained of all of your creativity and having none left. Other signs of creative burnout are feeling stressed and tired, dreading working or feeling like you'll never create anything good again. If you're dealing with any or all of these signs, consider it a sign to take a break. Taking a break will look different to everyone. For some creatives, a one-hour break is enough to overcome creative burnout. Others might need days or even weeks. Something as simple as reading a book or watching your favorite television show can be enough to help. Some might require something more significant, like a weekend getaway or spa day. It doesn't matter how long or short your break is or what you do on it. What matters is that the break refuels your creative reservoir and gets you back to stress-free creating. Number three, ask for feedback. We are our own worst critics. No one judges us as critically as we judge ourselves. We'll be the first person to throw that story or poem in the trash, paint over our painting or challenge all the chords of our song. Before you deem your creation to be trash or not good enough, get feedback from someone you trust to give you sincere and constructive criticism. By receiving that feedback, you'll have an unbiased opinion about whether your work is trash or a diamond in the rough that just needs a little polishing. Number four, seek out inspiration. We are all inspired by something or someone, and sometimes we need to revisit those inspirations to remind us why we started our creative journey. None of our favorite writers, painters, musicians, et cetera, started as immediate successes. They all had hits and misses. Some never saw any success until after they died. Yep, for some reason. These are people that inspire us. Why is that? Because they never gave up. Even in the darkest moments, after their biggest failures, none gave up. Even when their creative anxiety tried to bring them down, they found a way to overcome it and create something beautiful. As we saw with Hermes Hemingway, Tyler Joseph, and Edward Munch, they all took their anxieties and turned them into great pieces of work. Neil Gaiman said it best. When you're suffering, make good art. So when your creative anxiety is trying to drag you down, let your inspirations guide you. They'll help silence your creative fears and continue your creative journey. And number five, be kind to yourself. What if that was my last success in my creative field? What if I never have another great idea? What if my previous success was a fluke and my next piece is a failure? What if everyone realizes I'm not as good as I think? These negative thoughts can lead us on the downward spiral of thinking we've hit our creative peak and then it's all downhill from here. When those thoughts start to bubble to the surface, being kinder to yourself is necessary. Take a deep breath and try phrases like, all the great started somewhere. I'm only beginning my creative journey. I will continue to have good ideas that make me happy. My creative voice is worth being heard. Even if my next creative endeavor doesn't go well, there will always be another one that does. Trading ourselves with kindness and realistic expectations doesn't leave room for our anxiety to speak up. We give ourselves a better chance of succeeding by cutting off our fear before it even begins. Creativity can be both a blessing and a curse, but at the end of the day, it's our most extraordinary form of expression. We understand how stressful it can be to produce consistently fantastic art, poetry, music, et cetera. That's why the Psych2Go team is always here to help you overcome any obstacle you face. Thanks so much for watching. Now go create something beautiful.