Sometimes the impulse to run, hide, and just get away from life gets so big that it’s stifling. Painting, taking photos, picking up the guitar, writing poetry/fiction/journal entries: these things just don’t even feel possible. And when that happens, rather than caving and giving into the moment, get lost in something someone else has created.

Find your theme song and play it as many times as you need to in order to get lost in it and feel like you’re ready to take on the world.

Read a poem or a novel – even if you’ve read it before.

Look at art that others have created; if you live near a museum, try going there. If you live near a college campus and the school has an art program, go check out the exhibits. If your town has an art walk, make plans to go (at the very least, this will give you something to look forward to).

Look at photos that have rich colors (or black and white shots with a lot of texture, depth and contrast).