Chaotically Expressive: The Life of a Neurotic-Creative

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Abstract

ing creative endeavors and imagination a naturally unstable process.</p><p id="f144">Finding this out, it’s hard not to think this personality pairing is prepped for paradoxical disaster.</p><p id="ddc3" type="7">In order to live a good life, you have to have stability and instability at the same time.</p><p id="7edc" type="7">Excuse me?!?!</p><p id="ce09">Here’s what that means:</p><ul><li>Pick Your Time of Creativity</li><li>Create a Routine</li><li>Prepare for the Art of Letting Go</li></ul><figure id="ec34"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*wNPeVo-sDS5yfkS1"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@kaleidico?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Kaleidico</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h2 id="381c">First, build yourself a routine.</h2><p id="fe15">By building a routine, you can train your brain to know what to look forward to.</p><p id="6076">For me, if you’re looking for a clearer example, here’s what that looks like for me:</p><ul><li>I woke up. That means I can check my coffee budget and see if I have the money for breakfast.</li><li>I have money. That means I’m going to the coffee shop next door to my work to get breakfast.</li><li>I don’t have that money in my coffee budget. That means I’ll spend some more time prepping for work.</li><li>I am working. That means that’s what I’m working on for the next [X] hours</li></ul><p id="cecf">See what I mean? Even if there are options in my schedule, I have enough structure to know the kind of options I can look forward to.</p><p id="2f70">Next, in your routine, pick a time to be creative. I would assume that the more creative you are, the more time you might need. This is determined by your openness and schedule.</p><p id="0d23">But this is the magic time, or hour. If it’s an hour, of course ;)</p><p id="07da">In your structured routine, you can allow yourself a set amount of time to be as chaotic and creative and expressive and free as you would like. Then when that time is done you can return to your routine knowing that the structure will let you return to that state of creativity again.</p><p id="b0f0">Finally, I would advise you prepare yourself for the art of letting go. What does that mean?</p><p id="970a">That means prepping yourself when life happens and it messes with your routine.</p><p id="06a0">In the words of Michael Scott:</p><p id="63e7" type="7">“Stay fucking calm!!”</p><p id="5c15">Meditation is an awesome way to regulate those negative emoti

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ons you’re predisposed to, and it helps you build that emotional muscle that allows you to adapt as if your neuroticism was low.</p><p id="24a1">That way you can say to yourself:</p><p id="8a7d" type="7">I wasn’t able to abide by my schedule. But that’s okay, because this unexpected thing is only temporary and I can get back to it next time.</p><p id="bf6f">At the end of the day, give yourself two things: time to play and patience. Just because you may be highly neurotic and creative doesn’t mean you’re destined to suffer the bad parts of it. It just means overcoming those things will be even more satisfying.</p><p id="6921" type="7">Thanks for reading! If you liked this, subscribe for more streams of consciousness and check out some of these other articles!</p><div id="e353" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/this-fairy-tale-trope-will-beat-a-i-59f11ccd7942"> <div> <div> <h2>This Fairy Tale Trope Will Beat A.I.</h2> <div><h3>The older I get, the truer this gets.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*Qg4k5zOl-ovKSvlF)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="e9d6" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/my-top-3-miramax-indie-romance-films-331ca28c2da4"> <div> <div> <h2>My Top 3 Miramax Indie Romance Films</h2> <div><h3>Weinstein-aside, these are actually worth it. I promise.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*X3fi_FBNUEdYqrqd.jpg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="542f" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/heres-why-everything-happens-for-your-reason-part-1-8234a96c67a9"> <div> <div> <h2>Here’s Why Everything Happens for YOUR Reason. — Part 1</h2> <div><h3>The Powers of Change and Choice</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*gpFzTCBbxmwLAw67)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Chaotically Expressive: The Life of a Neurotic-Creative

Two personalities that couldn’t clash more

I won’t be speaking about him from the viewpoint of him as a political figure or advocate, rather a clinical psychologist and Carl Jung educator, but Jordan Peterson is the man who introduced me to the Big 5.

A personality test that is used to determine where people rank on each of the “big 5” personality traits (and the 10 subcategories evenly distributed between the five).

I took the test, and… I have to admit, I wasn’t too pleased with the results.

Moderately high in neuroticism and openness to experience.

I was definitely looking forward to the high openness, being as creative as I am.

But I was scared about the neuroticism because it wasn’t a personality trait I wanted.

Because I thought I couldn’t fix it.

Here’s what I learned to make this combo work.

These definitions are according to verywellmind.com:

Openness to Experience (or Openness) is a personality trait that “emphasizes imagination and insight the most out of all five personality traits”.

Neuroticism is a personality trait “characterized by sadness, moodiness, and emotional instability”.

Right off the bat, there’s already a butting of heads between the two emotions as Neuroticism as both of them are defined by their own kinds of instability.

Neuroticism recognizes instability as a setback and needs the solution for this to be a structured and order-oriented lifestyle.

Openness is so creative and expressive it needs the room to be order-free and let whatever occurs from the creativity to occur, making creative endeavors and imagination a naturally unstable process.

Finding this out, it’s hard not to think this personality pairing is prepped for paradoxical disaster.

In order to live a good life, you have to have stability and instability at the same time.

Excuse me?!?!

Here’s what that means:

Pick Your Time of Creativity
Create a Routine
Prepare for the Art of Letting Go

First, build yourself a routine.

By building a routine, you can train your brain to know what to look forward to.

For me, if you’re looking for a clearer example, here’s what that looks like for me:

I woke up. That means I can check my coffee budget and see if I have the money for breakfast.
I have money. That means I’m going to the coffee shop next door to my work to get breakfast.
I don’t have that money in my coffee budget. That means I’ll spend some more time prepping for work.
I am working. That means that’s what I’m working on for the next [X] hours

See what I mean? Even if there are options in my schedule, I have enough structure to know the kind of options I can look forward to.

Next, in your routine, pick a time to be creative. I would assume that the more creative you are, the more time you might need. This is determined by your openness and schedule.

But this is the magic time, or hour. If it’s an hour, of course ;)

In your structured routine, you can allow yourself a set amount of time to be as chaotic and creative and expressive and free as you would like. Then when that time is done you can return to your routine knowing that the structure will let you return to that state of creativity again.

Finally, I would advise you prepare yourself for the art of letting go. What does that mean?

That means prepping yourself when life happens and it messes with your routine.

In the words of Michael Scott:

“Stay fucking calm!!”

Meditation is an awesome way to regulate those negative emotions you’re predisposed to, and it helps you build that emotional muscle that allows you to adapt as if your neuroticism was low.

That way you can say to yourself:

I wasn’t able to abide by my schedule. But that’s okay, because this unexpected thing is only temporary and I can get back to it next time.

At the end of the day, give yourself two things: time to play and patience. Just because you may be highly neurotic and creative doesn’t mean you’re destined to suffer the bad parts of it. It just means overcoming those things will be even more satisfying.

Thanks for reading! If you liked this, subscribe for more streams of consciousness and check out some of these other articles!