Discover the scientifically proven way to cheer yourself up.

Blue Monday? What if you feel blue on Tuesday too? You just need to find the yellow and green crayons.

At Heart Leap, I explore how to build a happy, creative, and simple life. At 9 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, I host ‘happy writing hours’ for paid subscribers. It’s for anyone who is trying to write a book, start a substack, or just have a little accountability for their writing practice. We chat for 5 minutes or so, and then we write quietly together for the rest of the hour. It’s strangely comforting and motivational to have a cohort of writers to support you and write alongside you. Subscribe and join us if you want some support. Zoom link at the end of this post

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It was blue Monday yesterday—apparently the gloomiest day of the year.

My satisfying fire-lighting stint at my brother’s house is now over, and I am back at home to try to keep my inner fire alight and the January blues at bay.

It’s hard.

Drawing helps.

I’m drawing every day. I started this 10-minute sketch challenge after reading this post by Adam Ming. (I did a brilliant course on ‘intuitive painting’ with Kia Cannons in the summer, and I have been attempting to paint madly and badly ever since.)

Why the arts will lift your spirits and change your brain

If it hasn’t cheered me up, it definitely cheered my friend up, as she cried with laughter when she saw my drawings. ‘When you said you couldn’t draw, I thought you were being humble but, er, you really are a beginner.’

I am. And the pressure’s off. I don’t care what anyone thinks. I am just enjoying being creative for the sake of being creative. It’s fun. It’s silly. It’s colourful.

And it’s scientifically proven to help you stay sane when things feel insane.

I had the privilege of interviewing Susan Magsamen, co-author of a new New York best-selling book, Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us, which she wrote with Ivy Ross.

Their book discusses the power of neuroaesthetics to improve your physical and mental health. (Also called neuroarts, neuroaesthetics is the study of how the arts change your brain and body and how this knowledge can be used to advance health and well-being.)

The good news is that you don’t need to be good at art, singing, or dancing to reap the benefits.

“Yes,” says Susan. “You can hum, doodle, write, read, listen to music, or colour, and you don’t have to be good at it. It’s the process, not the outcome, that makes the difference. Studies show that those of us who are engaged in the arts and crafts have lower levels of mental distress, and we are also experiencing higher levels of mental functioning and life satisfaction.”

Where do we start?

Doing something as simple as doodling activates the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain that helps us focus and find meaning in sensory information, says Susan. “It increases blood flow and triggers feelings of pleasure and reward. It turns out that doodlers are more analytical, retain information better, and are better focused than their non-doodling colleagues. Studies show that dancing for even just 15 minutes reduces stress, anxiety, and depression and increases feel-good hormones, including endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine. Dancing is highly effective in creating new neural connections.”

So draw like a child, dance like no-one’s watching, or if you want to write with some company, join us at 9 a.m. today for the Happy Writing Hour. Here’s the Zoom link: