Finding creativity in seasons of stress

BY VICTOR WAKARCHUK

As I am writing this article, winter is approaching. Grey days. Rainstorms. And now going on well over two years of the COVID pandemic. How am I feeling? Not very motivated. Definitely not creative.

While mostly “normal” life has returned for many, the legacy of the pandemic will forever be in our history. Further, the winter season indicates a slowing—animals and insects go into hibernation, trees lose their leaves, and energy levels around us seem to slow down.

This is a time when people may struggle with creativity. It can be hard to find inspiration when all you want to do is nap.

As a therapist, I am always curious about practical strategies to implement for facing challenges. I will review some strategies below, but first some neuroscience about what might be going on if you are struggling with creativity right now.

Fight-flight-freeze vs. rest and digest

When faced with a threat, your nervous system goes into fight-flight-freeze mode. Your brain is solely focused on surviving this threat. These threats don’t just include the traditional fears of seeing a bear in the woods. They can include social fears—worries about what others think or anxieties about visiting certain people during the winter season, for example.

This is also a period of time when many people face burnout. Those “little” stressors add up— pressure at work, stress from the winter weather, a long line at the grocery store, concerns about the rapidly rising cost of living in our province. These all compound and impact our mental health.

Unfortunately, you cannot physically fight many of these social stressors (unlike fighting back if a bear attacked you), and you cannot run away from most of the social stressors, either. So, your nervous system essentially gives up. You play dead. Feel numb or dissociate. This is freeze mode, which is really a last resort. The other two strategies didn’t work, so you freeze.

In freeze mode, other bodily functions like digestion temporarily slow down. Your body is focused on survival in the moment, and digesting your breakfast from two hours ago really isn’t the priority right now. Higher cognitive tasks like executive functioning and creativity can also be compromised during fightflight-freeze. These, again, are not crucial for your immediate survival, so they take a back seat.

The opposite of fight-flight-freeze is called “rest and digest.” In this response, your body can relax and return to a more regulated state. This is when you can sleep deeply and feel at peace. The trouble with social stressors is that they can be a chronic issue—and, for many of us, we are stuck in freeze mode, which results in chronic stress.

So where does that leave writers?

First, we need to acknowledge the collective trauma and stress that we are going through, and have gone through the past two years. The pressure to produce and be creative can be crushing, and so we need to respond to this as if it is a crisis situation (because it is!). If you are looking for permission to slow down, here it is. You are allowed to pause and take a break.

It is okay to step away or reduce the number of projects you take on (if you can). It does not make you a failure or mean that you are no longer a writer or an artist. It means that a change has happened in your life, and you are taking steps to adjust and adapt. Just as we might enjoy snow sports in the winter and sunny hikes in the summer, some people find that their creativity comes and goes throughout the year. This is normal!

Now, shifting into some strategies. As a therapist, one of the most healing practices I see is being able to identify your emotional needs and to take the steps to meet those needs. So, if your mind or body is screaming “I need a break!”, your job is to listen and meet these needs if possible. This can help us get back into “rest and digest.”

When you are ready to come back (or if you feel a break is not needed), here are a few tips to jump-start your creativity:

Set aside some time for mindfulness

Research by Henriksen et al. (2020) supports using mindfulness as a way to enhance creativity. This also serves a dual purpose— mindfulness practices can help you get back into a rest-anddigest response by bringing your mind into the present moment and encouraging psychological safety. New to mindfulness? Try watching a video of a body scan or doing a mindful breathing meditation as a starting place.

.Explore new sensory stimuli to encourage mind wandering

During the winter, and also because of the pandemic, our exposure to new sensory stimuli has been greatly reduced due to spending more time at home. Further, if your mood is low, everything can feel grey and boring. The research by Henriksen et al. suggests that intentional mind wandering can assist the creative process. One of the best methods I have discovered for mind wandering is to start with a new sensory stimulus. Trying a new food, going to a new park or coffee shop, cuddling up with a new fluffy blanket, listening to a new musician, or savouring a new delicious aroma can be that spark you need to access your sense of wonder and let your mind follow new paths of intentional wandering.

Ask your inner critic to take a step back

Creativity opens you up to critique, and you can be your own worst enemy. Your inner critic makes you doubt the work you are doing and is quick to find flaws. Humans have an inherent negativity bias (look it up—it is a thing!), and so your inner critic is not going away anytime soon.

However, you can develop a relationship with your inner critic and ask them to take a step back: “I see you and hear your voice loud and clear; would you mind taking a step back for a moment?”

You may need to continue this process again and again, but it can be much easier accessing vulnerable emotions and ideas when you feel safe and free from harsh judgement. Journalling can also help in discovering where the inner critic comes from, what its agenda might be, and what the inner critic needs from you (hint—it is often a projection of earlier hurt that needs love and nourishment from an adult version of yourself).

Be kind to yourself

Feeling creatively blocked can be a natural reaction to stressful situations, so you should never feel bad for needing a break. I hope you keep these strategies at hand whenever you feel you need to nourish your creative self.

Sources:Sources:

Henriksen, D., Richardson, C., & Shack, K. (2020). Mindfulness and creativity: Implications for thinking and learning. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 37, 100689. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.tsc.2020.100689

Victor Wakarchuk, RCC, MSW, RSW is a therapist in private practice specializing in working with queer men. Learn more at centreforgaycounselling.com