Creativity is the Antidote to Anxiety
By Donna Zajonc with David Emerald The level of disruption and uncertainty in the world right now is causing a lot of anxiety. There’s a nervous vibration that heightens our emotions of fear and unease. Our human brains…
By Donna Zajonc with David Emerald
The level of disruption and uncertainty in the world right now is causing a lot of anxiety. There’s a nervous vibration that heightens our emotions of fear and unease.
Our human brains are wired for connection. We pick up subtle signs and begin to mimic the emotions we feel from others. It’s a built-in survival mechanism. Among our ancient ancestors, it was common for an entire group to become alerted to the fear of someone who sensed danger, others picked up on that fear, too.
The fancy term for this is “emotional contagion,” which means that humans synchronize their emotions with those felt by others. One person’s emotions can influence an entire group.
A Harvard researcher named Shawn Achor, who studies emotions, supports the idea that they are contagious. He states, “Our brains are wirelessly connected, which means we co-process the world. We do not individually process the world.”We co-process—and we co-create.
It’s important to understand that emotions are contagious, both the ones you absorb from others and the ones you send out. Is it any wonder, then, that we’re all feeling the fear and anxiety that seem to saturate the air around us?
Here’s the good news:Creativity is the antidote to anxiety.Creative action activates the prefrontal cortex, which runs on an entirely different system than the one that manages anxiety. Any creative act—no matter how small, whether it’s making a sandwich, arranging flowers, or taking a new traffic route to work—is a remedy for anxiety. Anything that engages you in the process of creating sends this message to your brain:“I am safe. If I can create something, then I am safe.”Many years ago, I experienced this firsthand.
It wasn’t painting, or poetry, or carpentry—the kinds of things most people typically consider “creative.”It was baseball.
That’s right, baseball. I was coaching my daughter’s little league softball team. It was our first practice with the ten-year-old girls, and I was having so much fun teaching them base-running skills and how to slide into home plate.
I was standing behind the home plate when suddenly I remembered I had forgotten to pick up my preschool-aged son from his childcare center! I looked at my watch and yelled, “Oh my gosh! My son’s childcare center closed half an hour ago!”I quickly asked a parent to take over and raced to my car. During that short drive, I felt so embarrassed that I had forgotten to pick him up. But I also realized something important: I had been so fully immersed in joy and play that I completely lost track of time.
Thankfully, the childcare staff was still there to greet me, and my young son was happily playing outside. He didn’t seem to mind that I was late.
That experience happened over three decades ago, and it still stands out as a meaningful lesson. It had all the hallmarks of creativity:
- Feeling focused and present
- Playful and curious, with the freedom to explore
- Inspired and energized by new ideas
- Fully engaged in the now
- Open to uncertainty and improvisation
I felt so alive and creative. Even when I arrived at the childcare center, anxiety was nowhere to be found. (Yes, I genuinely apologized and did my best never to be late again!)So how do you find your creativity mojo? Ask yourself:
- What memories do I have of playful activities?
- When do I lose track of time?
- When have I felt alive, joyful, and free?
We are susceptible to anxiety because we’re constantly absorbing the contagious emotions around us. But through the simple act of creating, we have a powerful antidote.
So, I’ll leave you with this:What creative experience will you make space for this week?
Until next time, here’s to the Creator in you!Donna