SURVIVAL NOTES: Channeling Creativity as a Healing Practice

In this episode of Survival Notes, Jonathan Murphy, PMHNP explores the intersection of creativity and adversity, sharing insights on how spontaneous creative expression can serve as a powerful healing tool. Learn how consistent creative practice can help you process emotions rather than internalizing them.

Key topics covered:

• How to turn on your creativity through small, consistent practices
• The distinction between genuine emotions and stress responses
• Using creative outlets to channel difficult feelings
• Adapting to challenges through creative expression
• Updates on the Compass Point Institute podcast network
• Announcement of the upcoming Focus Path YouTube channel for long-form educational content

Whether you're naturally creative or looking to develop this skill, this episode offers practical guidance for using creativity as a path toward healing and authenticity.

For more insights on habit formation, CPTSD, boundaries, and other topics, visit myfocuspath.blog.

In this deeply personal episode, psychiatric nurse practitioner Jonathan Murphy explores the paradox of creativity - how we turn something meant to be joyful into a painful exercise in perfectionism. Drawing from his own journey with ADHD, multiple sclerosis, and creative blocks, Jonathan shares how releasing the need for perfection transformed his relationship with creativity, leading to a surge of songwriting and renewed energy. He reflects on the childlike wonder we once brought to creative endeavors before perfectionism took hold, and invites listeners to reconnect with the simple joy of creating without judgment.

This episode offers insights on:

• How creativity can become a healing force for mental health struggles
• The surprising connection between creative flow and managing chronic illness fatigue
• Breaking free from perfectionist patterns that block creative expression
• Finding your authentic voice in a distraction-filled world

Whether you're battling creative blocks or looking to reconnect with your innate creative spirit, this episode reminds us that the most powerful creative act is simply beginning.

📚 Ready to transform your relationship with your brain? Discover more insights in Jonathan's book "CHEAT CODES: How I Hacked My ADHD Brain" - available now on Amazon Kindle Unlimited. Learn the practical strategies that helped Jonathan overcome executive dysfunction and unlock his creative potential. Get your copy today!

Jon breaks down the relationship between creativity and healing, sharing his personal breakthrough with daily songwriting and how he uses AI as a tool—not a replacement—for creative work. Plus the ADHD cheat code you need to hear: the things that are good for you are probably hard for other people, and vice versa. Learn how to externalize emotions through creativity, reduce friction in your creative process, and why your lived experience is your greatest asset in the creator economy. Warning: don't let technology turn your brain off when you should be thinking.

Links & Resources: 📚 Get Jon's book "Cheat Codes: How I Hacked My ADHD Brain": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FMJLQKBW?ref_=ast_author_mpb
👤 Follow Jon's author page: https://amazon.com/author/myfocuspath
🎥 Quick ADHD tips: @adhdquickwins on TikTok
📝 Read more at Focus Path blog: myfocuspath.blog