A stressed, anxious mind cannot be creative

Mar 01, 2022
anxiety

Let’s check-in…

Ask yourself, how are you feeling right now? 

If you’re feeling troubled, worried, stressed out, anxious, sad, angry, afraid, guilty (or anything else)… How are you coping with how you’re feeling? 

Take a moment and answer these questions for yourself. You can journal your thoughts or just sit and reflect on your answers.

Your emotions are your friends with important messages to share. 

When you’re experiencing uncertainty in your life, emotions like worry and anxiety may show up in an effort to protect you from your fear of what may happen. At first, it feels productive because you’re planning for every possible scenario you can imagine. But often those thoughts become exhausting and out of control, because you simply can’t plan for every possible scenario and, when under duress, you’re not even coming up with your best solutions. 

A stressed, anxious mind cannot be creative.  

Effective problem solving requires creativity and critical thinking. When your brain is in fight/flight/freeze mode it’s all about survival, and is not capable of thinking creatively or critically. 

In rest/digest mode, you’re able to be present where you can experience ease and joy, activating your creative, critical mind.

But you’re feeling the worry and anxiety now, so what to do?

Start here for access to our Stress & Anxiety Course. Once inside, go to the Word Association Mantra Meditation (under Spiritual Connection, Mindful Self Compassion, Crying). Have a pen and paper handy to make notes as you go through it. You’ll only need to go through this exercise one time. At the end of it, you’ll have two words for your own personal mantra meditation. 

Then, when you’re feeling worried, anxious or stressed: 

✔️ Take a moment and acknowledge your feelings. Say out loud: I feel ____________. 

✔️Sit with your feelings. If you can, allow them to wash over you (you may find it helpful to pair this with long deep breathing). Experience it. What message is there for you? 

✔️ Practice the breath & mantra exercise from the Word Association video. Inhale vibrating one word, exhale vibrating the second word. Continue until you feel the anxiety dissipate, then take a few more breaths.

✔️ Practice step 3 throughout the day. When you begin to feel worry, anxiety or stress - engage your breath and your mantra. Make reminders for yourself using the alarm on your phone, or putting post-its on your laptop, bathroom mirror or above the light switches in your frequently used rooms. 

This 4 step process allows you to acknowledge and experience your feelings so you can accept and digest them, while stimulating your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) so that you can feel calmer, be present, think creatively and critically so you can handle what comes your way. 

You’ve got this! 

With love,
Jodh

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(much like this blog post!)