What does stress have to do with creativity?
Great question, since we may not initially see the connection.
Stress research is very clear here~ it is not the stress that matters, it is how we respond to it. When we experience stress, our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) kicks in. Doesn’t matter to your ANS whether it’s a traffic jam, emotional conflict, or snake hissing. Your ANS suppresses Parasympathetic (PNS) functions in your body like digestion and immunity, pumps blood faster, and releases adrenaline so you can run. We haven’t evolved out of that response, even though we don’t usually need to run any more.
Prolonged stress continues to suppress PNS functions, including our mental capacity for spaciousness. You know this feeling. You’re on the go, and you forget about the simplest things. When I was commuting every week in California, I kept a post-it on my steering wheel~ “GET GAS!”
So, one of the first things to go is our creativity. We simply may not have space for insight, problem-solving, and possibly even intuition.
One thing I am passionate about is giving you a toolkit to help manage the stress response. When you feel that constricted feeling coming on (ANS, panic, fear, etc), take a deep breath! Right? That will help balance out the nervous system. This is not woo woo yoga, it’s science.
Then kick in whatever practices you have—visualization, prayer, movement, concentration meditation…. Feel like you need some practices? That’s why I’m creating the course. It isn’t just about creativity and leadership. It’s about wholeness, being more yourself, expanding more of yourself…..