survival mode & creative suppression
I recently emerged from several years of feeling like I had almost no creative capacity. Like I didn’t have any room to day dream, to imagine, to fantasize, to envision various versions of life for myself. In general, we begin our lives as very playful and creative and inspired beings. Somehow, as we move into adulthood, we seem to slowly, then suddenly, lose that creative spark. But, why?
For most people in today’s world, life becomes very stressful and overwhelming as you move into adulthood. Trying to keep up with the bills, manage a work life balance, have enough time for your family (let alone yourself), and so on. When life becomes too overwhelming, leading to chronic stress and burnout OR if you experience a traumatic event that leads to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), your brain literally doesn’t have capacity for that creative side of you.
You may have heard the term “living in survival mode”. This is referring to that chronic stress state or dealing with a PTSD diagnosis. The part of you that is just trying to survive and make it to the end of each day. Your brain is solely focused on survival; what it needs to do to keep you safe (this part looks a little different from person to person- think fight, flight, or freeze). When your brain’s resources and energy is allocated to the “survival” parts of your brain, not only does it limit function in your prefrontal cortex (the area that helps us be rational, forms our personality expression, action plan, maintain socially appropriate behavior, decision making, etc.), but it also significantly restricts your ability to be creative and imaginative.
Ultimately, your brain is lighting up in all the areas that are required to keep you safe, and dimming down in the areas that aren’t necessary for survival.
So, how do you begin accessing your softer, more feminine and creative side again?
Take a slow and steady approach to dealing with your survival response. Maybe that’s working with a therapist, coach, or mentor to support you through this process. Maybe you already know what your stressor(s) looks like and what steps you need to take to bring your mind and body back down to a calmer state. Whatever it is for you, it’s important to begin working toward a more balanced nervous system state. As you begin to step out of survival mode, you can start unlocking those creative parts of you again.
What this looked like for me- I slowly started to step away from my job at the time (this was my major stressor). I reduced my work week from 5 to 4 days so I could have one day per week to myself. A day to let my mind and body take a big exhale and rest. At first, it was very hard for me to settle into a whole day by myself. I wasn’t used to having this time… and the lack of stress and chaos felt unfamiliar.
Over the course of several weeks, I started to settle and found my nervous system recalibrating little by little. I wrote out a list of all the possible things I could do during this extra day for myself. Little things like gardening, baking, reading a book, and yoga. These were the little glimmers of the creative part of me I felt like I no longer knew. It felt like a reintroduction to a part of myself I thought I had lost. Over time, this softer, more creative side of me continued to expand and evolve.
Your stressor likely looks different than mine and your creative interests may differ. But the core concept remains the same; in order to unlock your creativity, you must begin recalibrating your nervous system.
If this resonates and you’re wanting to chat about how I can walk you through your own nervous system recalibration, schedule a free 30 minute private consult. I’d love to connect!
Pause for reflection:
What is your main source of stress at this time in life?
What do you think your symptoms of “survival mode” look like? (e.g. doom scrolling, distant from relationships, checked out from life, easily irritable, etc.)
What are some of your creative interests that you would like to revisit?
Xo
Kayla
