Behavior

Discover How Do Nightmares Make Writers More Creative

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The image of a dark shadow following me like Dementors was chasing Harry Potter is still live in my mind. It is a nightmare I started having when I was about 13 and it keeps repeating every now and then. I always manage to run away from that shadow, but it never stops following me. It is a recurrent dream that is chasing me for over 15 years now.

But how do these bad dreams influence creativity? Every human on Earth is having nightmares, but do they have a special effect on writers or on their creativity level? Do these nightmares have a hidden meaning?

Let’s find out more about nightmares and if they make writers more creative.

What Are Nightmares?

Nightmares are those bad dreams which make you wake up during the night. And while the sensation of fear has invalidated your body, you wake up all sweat and disturbed by what you just saw in your dreams.

We experience more nightmares when we are children. Researchers from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine say that from 10 to 50 percent of children aged 5 to 12 years, experience disturbing nightmares that make them wake up their parents.

This means that the severity of their nightmares is high enough to disturb their parents.

As the time passes by, the frequency of the nightmares decreases. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says that only two to eight percent of adults experience nightmares.

But, What Triggers Nightmares?

Scientists say that the nightmares experienced during adulthood have the same triggers as the ones from childhood. Such triggers could be:

  • Listening to scary stories
  • The death of a beloved one
  • Watching tv shows or horror movies
  • Having a stressful day at school or work

Whether these triggers are common for childhood and adulthood, there are also some that are specific to adulthood.

As we grow up, we gain more and more control over our behavior and cognitive functions. We have the power to control and keep them under control.

But when something bad happens, our ability to manage our behavior and thinking weakens.

Triggers such:

  • Bad eating habits – like having a midnight snack
  • Conflicts unresolved that we never stop thinking about
  • Unknown allergies
  • Depression
  • Trauma
  • Insomnia

can cause you to experience that night troubles.

What do we know about nightmares?

  1. We know that the nightmares are occurring in the REM sleep (rapid eye movement sleep). This phase is unique in our sleep and makes it easy for nightmares to appear because of its characteristics. Our muscles relax, and our eyes move faster, creating the conditions to dream vividly.
  2. Although every one of us has his own opinions, issues and perspective, some themes are common to most adults. Running from someone who is chasing you and not having the power to escape or falling from a very high building are common themes among adults.
  3. If you are on medication, you may experience nightmares, depending on the addictive substances you are taking.

But, how can a writer be inspired by his or her nightmares?

We all know that inspiration does not come if you clap your hands. There are a lot of exercises to boost your creativity. Some of them may work, some not. I tried some and all I can say is that they are helpful.

A lot of writers ask for advice on how to boost their creativity, and all I can say is to dive deeper into your dreams.

I tried to remember all the details of my dreams, some of them being full of feelings and sensations that would make a great story.

My solution to the problem of keeping track of one’s dreams was to write them down on a dream journal. I noticed that after I wake up, I clearly see all the dream details.

And this is the best moment to write down what you have just dreamed.

As the time passes by, more and more details will get lost.

You will boost your creativity and you will have a great start for an awesome story. Your brain is working also during the night, so nightmares are one of the things that he is part of. And why not use your brain at its fullest?

Wait, is this possible? Do I really become more creative?

The answer is, yes. Have you ever wondered where the Frankenstein story came from? Or how was Edgar Allan Poe so inspired to write such horrific, yet awesome stories?

You might think that as a writer you barely have time to sleep because you often enter a writing frenzy state. Stephen King got the idea for his famous masterpiece Misery while flying to London and experiencing a nightmare.

You can also draw what you have just dreamed and get inspired like Robert L. Stevenson did for his The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde novel.

There are so many writers who leveled up their creativity just by paying enough attention to what they experienced during the night. So yes, it is possible to become more creative if you listen to your brain during the night.

In fact, there are lots of studies which investigated the relationship between nightmares and creativity. One study conducted by Michelle Carr proved that during a word-association task, those who experienced nightmares scored significantly better than those who do not.

This means that it is a positive relationship between nightmares and creativity.

You might find yourself too troubled to form sentences and all you can do is to write down some ideas and memories. As a writer, you can always use the help of some nerdy writers or you can hire a writer online who can proofread your drafts.

As a writer, you can get lost through ideas. It is always helpful when a fresh and new perspective is used to improve your drafts. This is the moment when you can ask for help from a professional.

How Useful Are Nightmares to Writers?

After I over analyzed all the studies about nightmares and creativity, an idea popped up. How useful are nightmares for writers, actually? How can I, as a writer, maximize the potential my nightmares have?

Well, these are some tricky questions. But studies helped me clarify some aspects.

Empathy – a study from 2013 showed that people who experience nightmares frequently, also display mirror behaviors. They tend to be more aware of the people and surroundings.

And it is well-known that there is a positive relationship between empathy and creativity, although we do not know the exact relationship. Nightmares might determine you to write more vivid, fuller of life stories.

The recall rate is high – this might be due to the characteristics of nightmares. It is hardwired in our brain to remember more bad things than good things.

This is especially visible when taking into consideration nightmares. They can be a great source of inspiration for your next horror or thriller story.

I talked a lot about nightmares. What are they, what triggers do they have or how are nightmares and creativity linked.

But, how can you take advantage of nightmares, as a writer?

Oh well, nightmares inspire you. They make you more creative in ways you wouldn’t have known were possible. The truth is, our brain is working all the time. And just a few of the things it is noticing reach the consciousness level. You must take advantage of them.

Write down as many details you remember. Or, if you have some hidden talents, you can draw or paint. The thing is, while you will be working on remembering as many details as possible, your creativity level will increase.

Your brain will be exercising, and your imagination will be unleashed. So, what are you waiting for? Start that dream journal and begin creating the most vivid and gripping stories you have ever written.

About the Author

Tiffany Harper is an experienced writer from New York (USA) and an extremely active woman. She began her career as a journalist, now she works as a subject matter expert with university assignment help, best essay writing , custom research paper, makes researches for domywriting reviews, Paper Writing Pro Service, and My-Assignment.Help. Also, Tiffany works as a special mentor with master thesis writing service, best paper writing services, expert writers, Pro Papers review, mostly in wellness and healthy lifestyle area. She gets inspiration for writing from travels and meeting new people, feel free to contact her on Twitter.

Positive Words Research – Do Nightmares Make Writers More Creative?

Do Nightmares Make Writers More Creative

Sunday School As A Spiritual Teacher For Your Children

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Life can become hectic at times! Your tight schedule may not allow you some moments to attend church on Sundays. In fact, it may not cross your mind that your children require spiritual growth as well, which neither you nor their nanny can provide. Some parents teach their children about God and prayer at home, which is great. They read some scriptures to them and even teach some songs. That’s perfect, however, it’s not enough. In addition, you may not have the skills to impart spiritual knowledge into kids the same as Sunday school teachers. Moreover, you can’t teach them as the preachers do in church and expect them to learn quickly. In fact, they will start dreading any information about God at an early age. Therefore, consider taking your children in Sunday school.

More than learning about the scriptures, there are many other benefits your children can get from kids church. Besides, it’s great to take advantage of the opportunity religious organizations provide to parents of taking care of their kids’ spiritual growth. Below are a few benefits your children can get from attending Sunday school. You can as well get such information from assignment writing service in Australia. After reading you will have no doubt that Sunday School is the best choice for you and your child.

1. Learn About God

When your children attend kids’ Sunday school, they are taught their age-appropriate bible teachings that can easily be absorbed by their young minds. Their skilled tutors are able to craft the lessons to meet the understanding level as well as capture their interests. Most teachers integrate enjoyable activities in their lessons such as dances, skits and contests in poem narration to make learning fun. They are taught about the sovereignty of God. Therefore, don’t you get surprised to hear one of your young ones saying, “God will see u.” It only means that he recognizes God as his unseen protector. Or haven’t you heard them say, “let’s pray that God may give Dad some money to buy me chocolate.” It only means that they now realize God as their provider. Isn’t it one load off your shoulder? It actually, is. They will no longer blame you for not buying them Pizza, because probably God haven’t given you the money.

2. Find Mentors

Parenting is a challenging and tough activity especially when both of you (parents) spend most of your time at work. The few hours you spend with your kids is not enough to mentor them or even to understand their characters well. However, they can get some guidance and mentorship from their skilled instructors. The Church community believes in providing help to each other. Therefore, you can trust them with your little ones’ spiritual education and mentorship.

3. Make Friends

Nothing interests most children like meeting and making new friends. Sunday school is a place where little ones from different neighborhoods, communities and race meet. Kids don’t realize their differences and will mingle freely with each other. The instructors will encourage their relationship by teaching them that they are all children of God and that God requires them to love one another. They will look forward to the coming Sunday to meet their friends.

4. Form Good Habits

You may not be able to capture some of your children’s bad behavior and may learn about them when such habits are mature. Their instructors will easily point out bad behavior in kids and warn them, citing that they are sin before God. They have already learnt that God sees and hears everyone all the time. Your kids don’t want to be enemies with God; so they won’t do it ever again. They will adhere to good habits and shun the bad ones. 

5. Have Fun

These skilled instructors know how best to make every moment of your young ones enjoyable. They will learn new songs and dance to their tune. Occasionally they will watch Christian films in their church especially about Jesus and his death on the cross or about Moses and the Ten Commandments, among others. They will learn even as they enjoy the cinemas. Sometimes they will form groups and compete in reciting bible verses or songs. In some Sundays, they will sing and recite poems to congregations and will be greatly appreciated and given praises. Did you know that your children hunger for appreciation and praise? Try praising and appreciating them and see that they will start behaving maturely. Perhaps you don’t have time for that. But there’s plenty of it in Sunday school for kids.

6. Enhancing Parents-child Relationship

Whether you’re so tired or not, your little ones will never cease telling you about their church teachers, friends, sing you new songs, poems and about the film they watched. They will also try to educate you about God and warn you if they see you doing anything against what God requires of everyone. Moreover, they will practice the good morals taught. Also, the instructors will teach them to be obedient to their parents as a command from God. Their obedience and love to you will attract a strong bond between you and your little ones. What’s more, they will grow with such behavior to old age.

Now you know why you shouldn’t take away all these benefits and spiritual growth from your children. You may provide everything possible to your children but what they get from church is beyond your ability.

Positive Words Research – Sunday School As A Spiritual Teacher For Your Children

5 Tips On How Can Writing Reduce Your Level of Stress

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Humans face stress as a result of different aspects of life such as work, relationships or finances. School going teenagers also face stress as a result of difficult subjects, bullying in school, examinations, peer pressure and much more. That’s why people would rather hire an essay editing service than deal with that. This is why dealing with stress remains one of the most common essay topics.

While stress in life may be unavoidable, one of the best things we should learn is on how to deal with stress. According to recent research, maintaining a daily journal can be great of clearing your mind of stress and fighting anxiety. Writing down a journal of emotion before taking a test has been noted to boost performance in exams. This is on top of the fact that recording your thought can be a great way of solving the problem.

What studies say

When you keep a diary or journal, this will help you to document your experiences and thoughts. According to the studies, journaling is not only effective in relieving stress anxiety, but it can help those who write to increase their lifespan. In one of the studies that were published in the Psychotherapy Research, it was noted that psychotherapy patients who released their emotions by expressive writing enjoyed better reductions in their anxiety, but this also helped to reduce their symptoms of depression.

This means that by recording how you feel, you can reduce the amount of worrying that you experience. In another study that was published in Behavior Modifications, it was noted that expressive writing was able to reduce symptoms of generalized anxiety disorders such as depression and worry. This means that essay writing is not always hard. It has its own benefits.

How writing reduces stress and anxiety

It is not clear why keeping a stress relief journal is beneficial. However, there are some reasons that are believed to be the reasons why writing a thought journal is beneficial. These include:

  • Making it possible for you to sort out and also clarify your emotions and thoughts
  • Allowing you to reflect upon the journeys of your life as you look at your past journal entries
  • Giving you time to reflect on your emotions and feelings to help you understand them better
  • Offering you an outlet to express the difficult emotions like frustration and anger without hurting your loved one
  • Enabling you to get rid of those negative thoughts and helping you move to a happier state of mind.

How to start a stress release diary

Recording your thoughts is different from writing an essay as there are no rules to follow. In case you have an interest in recording your thoughts, getting started is easy. You will only need a pen, paper and a computer. There are people who find that experience of writing using a pen to be quite therapeutic. But there are those who love typing their thoughts. The good thing is that there are certain websites such as LiveJournal that make it possible for people to journal their thoughts privately.

Take time in a quiet and comfortable place where there are no interruptions. Depending on the kind of person you are, choose a particular time each week and day set aside for journaling. Or you may need just to write when you feel like. Ensure that your journal has a date and begin writing. While there are no journaling rules, make sure your notes are as short as possible. Since nobody will be reading the journal, it doesn’t have to be perfect. You may not need an editing service as you do not have to worry about the grammar and punctuations. All you need to do is to keep writing your thoughts as they flow in your mind. According to EssayReviewExpert, one of the essay topics you can choose for your psychology paper is on how writing can help reduce stress.

Effective journaling method

On top of helping you to reduce stress, keeping a journal will help you to keep a record of events. If you don’t know how to do it, try these effective methods:

  • Write down everything, small or big that you would like to achieve in your life
  • Imagine your favourite fictional character is going through a dilemma and write how they would deal with the issue
  • Do an exercise associated with words and use the word stress

Other stress relieving method

It is worth noting that writing a journal is not an end and a fix for many patients suffering from mental issues as well as PTSD. There are some people who will not love writing. If you are finding it difficult to keep a diary, there are other methods you can use to relieve your stress like:

  • Sharing your thoughts with a close friend, relative or teacher
  • Getting an online support group
  • Singing it out
  • Painting or drawing
  • Speaking with mental health professionals, like the ones at BetterHelp

The most important thing is to reduce your stress by finding a creative way of expressing your happy thoughts and emotions.

Conclusion

People respond to stress differently. There are those who prefer to drink alcohol, cut themselves or even eat junk food. Instead of engaging in such destructive behaviours, why don’t you try writing as a stress reliever?

Positive Words Research – How Can Writing Reduce Your Level of Stress?

How Can Writing Reduce Your Level of Stress 2

10 Behaviors Optimistic People Have Which Gives Them Power

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There some behaviors all optimists tend to share that immediately make them stand out in a crowd.

Some believe that practicing these behaviors every day could actually turn a pessimist into an optimist.

1. Optimists Tend to Think in Idealistic Terms

Because optimists tend to see the positive side to everything, they are also more likely to think in idealistic terms. For this reason, it’s great to have an optimist around when you’re embarking on a new project because they can give the courage and motivation you need to take on any challenge. Idealism tends to be contagious.

2. They Are Forgiving

Optimists are really great at finding the good in every person or situation. This is way, they never really hold a grudge. They may be a little bit disappointed, because of their idealistic nature. But they’ll always be quick to forgive and forget, because, deep down, they know everything happens for a reason, and nobody is really to blame in most situations.

3. Optimists Lead Healthier Lives

It’s a scientific fact that optimists are healthier than pessimists. That’s not just because having a positive attitude every day tends to lower your stress levels. Optimists are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors, such as exercising and eating healthy. And because they tend to have a really positive outlook on everything, they’re more likely to continue with these behaviors, even if they don’t see results immediately.

4. Optimists Don’t Give Up

Because they tend to focus more on the positive side of things, optimists tend to stick with a task for a longer period of time, even when things aren’t working out as expected. It helps that they don’t stress out about all the things that could go wrong, and just focus on what they have to do, and that great feeling of having accomplished something that comes in the end. They can look past minor setbacks, and see them as learning opportunities.

5. They Focus on Future Possibilities

Optimists don’t really focus so much on the present. When they look at current actions and events, all they see is the world of possibilities behind them. It keeps them motivated, and willing to put in the extra legwork to see their vision achieved. But it can also lead to some frustration, and sloppiness when things aren’t moving as fast as they would like them to.

6. They’re More Prone to Taking Risks

Optimists can’t really see all the dangers involved in a task because they don’t see them dangers. They think more in terms of challenges, or puzzles begging to be solved. As such, they are more likely to be risk takers. This tends to make optimists more successful in the long run. All they really focus on is the rewards they are bound to get at the end of the day. Optimists also tend to have higher self-esteem, which means it’s easier for them to see themselves as being capable of accomplishing anything.

7. They Care About Helping Others

Optimistic people make a habit out of helping whenever they can. This practice comes from their belief in people, and what they can accomplish. Because optimists trust not only themselves but everyone around them as well. They know, deep down, that the small amount of time and resources they are gifting is going to bring great benefits for everyone involved. And because they tend to take a genuine interest in other people’s lives, they are more skilled at reading those subtle signs that let them know exactly what others need.

8. Optimists Sleep Better

Pessimists and people who tend to overthink stuff, in general, have a hard time falling asleep, tossing and turning over every little thing that might go wrong in some distant future. Optimists don’t worry about these things so much, and as a result, they tend to sleep better and wake up more refreshed.

9. They’re Proactive

Instead of looking at a problem from every single angle, considering every possible solution, and all the ways in which they could fail, optimists tend to just jump straight in. They are confident in their abilities, and the abilities of those around them. They believe that if anything comes up, they are sure to find a solution as they go. And they find it easier to think as they go, rather than sitting around, making plans.

10. Optimists Tend to Look for Creative Solutions

When it comes to a solution, optimists have a talent, and an inclination, to move away from the beaten path. They tend to be more creative in general, but they’re really excellent when it comes to problem-solving. This is partly due to their natural self-confidence, and partly due to their dynamic and active personality. Since they have the ability to see so much potential in the world around, optimists have a tendency to get bored with stuffy, tried and tested formulas.

Optimists, in general, are distinguished by their strong belief in the ultimate good of the world. Practicing these behaviors might help in that direction, even if you’re not yet thoroughly convinced.

Positive Words Research – 10 Behaviors Optimistic People Have

Closeup portrait of a group of business people laughing

Keep Your Words Positive: Your Words Become Your Behavior

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“Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habit. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.” – Mahatma Gandhi

The important words in this quote are THOUGHTS, WORDS, BEHAVIOR, HABITS, VALUES, DESTINY.

Gandhi used the word “positive” in relation to the first 3 words: THOUGHTS, WORDS, BEHAVIOR. The remaining 3 words HABITS, VALUES, and DESTINY do not have the word “positive” associated with them. Why? When you focus on keeping positive your THOUGHTS, WORDS, BEHAVIOR then you do not have to work on keeping your HABITS, VALUES, and DESTINY positive, because they will become automatically positive and benefit you. Your thoughts, words, and behavior are the cause (the source), while your habits, values, and destiny are only consequences.

According to a study, for a mature brain, 80% of the THOUGHTS are internalized sentences, the rest being images and others. A significant amount of your thoughts are only sentences and sentences are made of simple words. Words are words. but thoughts are also words, at least in a significant amount.

You need to know positive words in order to create positive sentences. It is good for you to have the ability to not create negative sentences, which a lot of people do by understanding the negative, fighting, and correcting it. What is quite essential for your well-being is to have the ability to create positive sentences in your mind, so that you know how to think positively, so that you can be happy.

Keep Words Positive

Awareness of a Certain Word Makes You Feel That Word

Albert Einstein says: “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.”

It tells us that when you have a problem, first increase your level of awareness and then try to solve it. Applied to the world of emotions, when you have an emotional problem first increase your level of awareness and then try to solve it. But what awareness should you increase? the negative or the positive one? Read further.

You feel bad and hurt because you are focusing too much on a certain negative word, trying to understand it, not getting over it, and letting it go. You are staying UNDER the negative emotion (to UNDERstand it) not getting OVER it by increasing the energy of your positive emotions which will lift you higher than your problems. You label negative emotion with negative words and you get yourself stuck with that emotion. For the moment you are located at the level of awareness of that negative word. The solution is to increase your awareness for the positive word, which is the opposite of the negative word but not quite likes the antonyms.

For example, the opposite of anger is self-love, self-compassion, self-kindness. You become aware of the fact that you are burning yourself with anger because you are disconnected from yourself. Anger is always created because we don’t take care of ourselves when we really need to.

How to Use the Power of Words

  1. Label with a single word your negative emotion. For example: “I am sad”, but don’t try to understand it. Because your brain will focus on the word “sad” and provide you answers about why you are sad. But you do not need to know why you are sad, you actually need to know how you can be happy. Read step two.
  2. Immediately replace the negative word with a positive word: “I am not happy”. Now is time to understand why you are not happy. You will see that your mind will focus on the word happy and provide a solution for you about what to do to be happier. But don’t stop here, read step three.
  3. Start repeating in your mind the word “happiness”. Even better, you can write down on a piece of paper the word “HAPPINESS” with caps. Do this reinforcement of the word “happiness”, at least 35 times. Then, start researching about the word: happiness. Read in the dictionary what happiness means. Increase your awareness by reading articles on the internet on the word happiness. Go further and read books about happiness. You will discover a magic new world you never knew about.

Bring more magic into your life by researching the word GRATITUDE or inspire yourself from the List of Positive Words created by Positive Words Research. Continue your research about positive words,  because it will take you to the positive side of life. Anyway, life is short, you do not have time to think and do something else than beauty in your life. Access the list of positive words to brighten your day!

Positive Words Research – Keep your words positive because Because Your Words Become Your Behavior