Do you realise that almost everything we do is a form of creative expression of our inner self? Each of us has aspirations, dreams and desires, not all of which have found their way into reality. And yet this inner self peeps out, it paces around within us, chaffing against the confines – seeking an outlet, a creative expression.
People express themselves through creative forms such as writing, music, theatre, painting and dance. Almost everything we do, say or think is a form of self-expression that reveals a lot about us.
Our imagination and the flights of fancy it takes in the form of fantasies is also a creative form of our self-expression, known to us alone, unless we choose to share it. Fantasies play an important role in revealing to us our innermost desires and also help us visualise goals and aspirations. These then, when tempered with reality, become the goalposts we strive towards. The ability to use imagination and suspend reality also helps us enjoy fiction, movies and theatre with keenness.
Even as a man watches cricket, it is a form of selfexpression as he aligns himself with one team and totally identifies with them in his desire to compete and win. The vicarious victory is an important element of his self-expression and a balm to his ego. Another person may express himself through the food he cooks or a dress he designs. A poet, in his poetry; a singer in his song.
As desires and aspirations grow, fed upon an explosion of available choices and exposure to success stories, the average middle-class finds itself able to think and fantasise about much bigger things. The 70-inch wall mounted TV no longer seems that distant a possibility, nor does ownership of a dream house, a luxury car or a world cruise. All this helps give expression to our desire for material acquisitions and expansion. Along with this, the fantasies embrace other modes of happiness, such as romance, love and relationships.
Says Dr Deepak Raheja, psychiatrist and director, Hope Foundation, “When we talk of expressing ourselves, we are referring to our ability to sublimate the libidinal energy, which as Sigmund Freud says, is the basis of all biological fuels that drive us. For a long time, we have forgotten to sublimate this energy into creative expression. Today, we find more and more people able to do so. If the gap between the real and the fantasized self increases, it increases frustration in life. Self-expression helps us feel more complete and helps bridge the gap between the real and the imagined self. This brings us to a more philosophical and spiritual fulfillment.”
How does expressing yourself help you? Expressing your inner self through various means gives you an opportunity to sublimate your impulses into identifying with something that gives you catharsis. Expression gets us into a consistent tranquillity, explains Dr Raheja. If we are good at expressing ourselves outwardly, thus allowing bits of our inner self to find real expression, this helps bring us to a state of what Dr Raheja calls “consistent bliss and tranquillity”. This naturally then helps us in real life as well. Because now the state from which you will approach all your mundane tasks and even your critical business decisions, is a more consolidated, tranquil one. The big difference is that now, apart from giving importance to material acquisitions, you have also simultaneously learnt to be happy. And in that state of tranquility, you are able to see your circumstances more realistically since you are better able to connect to the here and now.
Creative expression brings about changes in the brain. Research has quantified those changes. It helps the brain move to a meditative state from where we are able to act in a state of calm that helps us synchronise our actions better; what occurs is a convergence of energy . This convergence leads us to a state of consistent bliss and this bliss eventually begins to make the difference in our everyday living and is what eludes us, almost like a butterfly we are chasing, which at will may come and perch on our shoulder, suggests Dr Raheja poetically.
Self-expression is a way of beating stress, detaching yourself from the burnouts of day-to-day reality. It is a self-defence mechanism where we let ourselves go into a state of meditation and return healed.
So then, what is your favourite mode of self-expression? Is it to talk aloud, listen to music, garden, play tennis, indulge in charity, paint or to write? Or, is fantasy your favourite way to express your innermost being?
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