Most of us have already experienced how relaxed action and thinking creativity . But what is the exact reason for this? Let's find out!
Scientists have tried to answer this question for years. They have come to the conclusion that there are several factors that contribute to creativity.
relaxation plays an important role. When we are relaxed, we can better listen to and see what is happening around us. We can weigh better and our problem -solving capacity is strengthened. The scientists call the optimal intellectual state for creative work the alphawelle state , since the brain streams in this case move in a certain range that they characterize with alpha.
photo of ameen fahmy @amenfahmy for creativity
They have already been in this state, deliberately brought about or unintentionally. For example, our brain comes into this state shortly before falling asleep. Or it is the moment when "flashes of inspiration", "the enlightenment", "aha effects" or the "Heureka moment" as if out of nowhere . For example when brushing your teeth or in the shower.
The alphawelle state is characterized by low thoughts, mental calm and physical relaxation. At the same time, perception is refined, the senses are sharpened, and one is particularly receptive.
In this state of relaxation, an intensive connection to the subconscious can arise, we find strength and refueling energy, intellectual nodes are disguised and we find easier problem solutions.
Artists and people living from their wealth of ideas are particularly dependent on this relaxed state in order to develop their creative strength, to develop new ideas and to make a change of perspective.
time plays a role. When we are relaxed, we have more time for creative thinking. And time always helps us to tackle things more relaxed. Time and term pressure are always detrimental to creativity.
How does stress affect creativity?
If you stressed or afraid , automatically close yourself from new ideas or thoughts. In other words, stress hinders our creative thinking.
Stress and creativity are directly related. Stress affects our cognitive ability, which means that it can influence our thinking and acting.
Stress is actually one of the most common factors that affect the smoothness of our thoughts. By stress, our brain is switched to "Survival Mode" , which means that it focuses on the tasks that it thinks it is necessary to secure our existence.
This means that we concentrate on the important (but often banal) tasks and neglect our creative vein. We tend to stick to known ways and lose the skills for unconventional thinking or abstract ideas.
In addition to restricting cognitive skills, stress also represents an emotional hurdle . An emotional state of stress restricts our ability to relax and give us our imagination and inspiration. The bottom line is impossible to be productive under emotional stress.
In order to master these challenges, we have to learn to deal with stress and convert it into a more productive state.
In times of permanent stress, we should be aware that relaxation and our creativity for our well -being and our success should be classified as extremely important.
Through regular - and ideally integrated in our everyday life - relaxation will be easier for you to stay calm in a stressful situation and thus be more open to inspiration and new ideas.
What does relaxation do in our brain?
Our thoughts are the basis of our actions. We all know that our minds help us to deal with our tasks, but how can we best use it?
Mental relaxation is an important prerequisite for productive thoughts and success. When you relieve and relax your head, it enables you to better record new information and to concentrate or focus on it better.
When we relax, the activities in our brain and nervous system change. With mental relaxation, the mirror of the stress hormone cortisol in the blood and the activities in the prefrontal cortex drops. This part of the brain is responsible for controlling emotional intelligence, self -awareness and creativity.
photo of jr Korpa @jrkorpa, which is important for our creativity, via unsplash
When these activities rise, they feel more relaxed and have more control over their emotions. At the same time, mental relaxation also increases the activities in the hippocampus - the part of the brain that is responsible for learning, knowledge and memory. This increase in activities in the hippocampus enables us to record new information more easily and to keep it longer.
In addition, mental relaxation also improves our focus and memory. Regular practices of mental relaxation help to improve blood flow to the brain, lower blood pressure and solve muscle tension.
After all, all of these factors ensure that they get an optimal level of creation and productivity.
So if you want to start a creative project or want to tackle a difficult task, we urgently recommend that you take regular breaks and relax.
This is how relaxation promotes creativity?
Creativity is one of the most valuable properties that we have - by no means in the artistic field. It helps all of us develop new ideas, refine our thinking, gain knowledge and increase our productivity.
But what is the most important basic requirement for this?
The answer is: relaxation .
Relaxation is one of the most important prerequisites for ingenuity and inspiration. When you are relaxed, you can concentrate better and give your subconscious more space to generate ideas. Through relaxation, you will also be able to better organize your thoughts and to increase your ingenuity enormously.
In addition, relaxation also helps to reduce stress and tension, which enables you to think more clearly and more productively.
When you relax, you will be able to generate new ideas much more easily and release your creative potential. This is because relaxation enables them to concentrate better on certain tasks or projects and thus be able to work much more efficiently.
Stress reduction is therefore a crucial factor in the development of creativity and inspiration.
Which techniques help to relax and reduce stress?
The right relaxation technology helps to reduce stress and improve the concentration. It can also help to find creative solutions for stubborn problems.
In order to be able to relax appropriately, it is important to know and understand suitable techniques. There are many different ways to reduce stress and relax. Some of these techniques are better suited for certain situations than others.
Photo by Omid Armin @omidarmin, via unsplash
Some of the most popular relaxation techniques are:
yoga
Yoga is one of the oldest relaxation methods ever. With yoga you learn to know your body better and to find the inner peace. In addition, yoga also trains the muscles, which is good for general well -being.
Yoga exercises not only help to solve tension in the body, but also to achieve mental clarity and serenity.
In addition, yoga is ideal for all people who have problems perceiving themselves well enough or those who want to learn how to control their thoughts better.
meditation
Meditation is one of the most frequently used relaxation methods. Through meditation you learn to let go of thoughts and pause. This makes the mind relaxed and it becomes easier to think clearly.
In addition, meditation supports us to feel more connected to our body and to discover a new way of thinking and acting - which in turn is ideal for more creativity!
Breathing exercises
Breathing exercises are an excellent way to relax and reduce stress. Breathing exercises also help with bedtime, as they calm and help the organism to fall asleep.
Breathing happens automatically without thinking about it. But in stressful situations we often breathe too quickly, this can cause dizziness, nausea, but also panic. "Good to know" presents a successful breathing exercise, the 4-7-11 technology :
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)
This method is based on the principle that you can reduce stress by consciously tensioning and relaxing certain muscle groups.
The progressive muscle relaxation according to Edmund Jacobson - as this method is completely called - can help to free the body of excessive stress and bring it into a state of rest and relaxation.
Autogenic training
Autogenic relaxation is another frequently used method. With this technique, you focus on breathing exercises as well as words and pictures that should help to relax the body.
This type of relaxation can be particularly helpful if you suffer from psychological stress or have feelings of fear.
Daydreaming
A daily dream is defined by psychologists as "tasks -independent thinking" . This simply means that you think without pursuing a specific goal.
Creative dreams also for waking up "
Daydreams are wrongly a bad reputation. It is equated with lack of concentration, lack of interest, thoughtlessness - everything is rather not desirable in a performance -oriented society. In particular, however, the latter is not really true: our brain cannot even think - but we should treat ourselves to this "luxury" more often and simply dream.
Relax. Let go of the wheel. Trudle around the world. She is so beautiful. " - Kurt Tucholsky
Because deportation in dream worlds can have many positive effects and even indicates more intelligence and creativity: the brain of daydreamers seems to be particularly efficient and have more free capacities.
Day dreams can help us increase our ability to think creative thinking and also our empathy. Because while our thoughts in the waking time go on a hike without a deliberate compulsion, they activate the so -called default fashion network .
Doing nothing is better than creating nothing with a lot of effort. " - Laotse
This resting mode network includes four special brain areas of the Kortex area, which also “jump” when we are creative and imaginative or feel in others. (Source and further information: BKKGS Health Journal: "Simply daydream" )
More ways to relax:
- Juggling and other sensorimotor exercises
- Look up with your eyes closed
- Relaxed walks in a quiet nature with all your senses
- …
How can we learn to relax in everyday life?
Relaxation is the basic prerequisite for the ability to create creative work and for a productive work environment. If we feel stressed and exhausted, we cannot work with our full potential and not exploit our creativity potential.
How can we learn in everyday life to better relax?
One of the best strategies is to regularly and consciously create islands of relaxation It is important to give yourself time to relax and try to reduce stress every day.
Some simple methods to relax are meditation or breathing techniques . These techniques can help you to draw your attention to your breath and body and thus let go of muscle tension. In addition, both techniques can be easily integrated into our everyday life.
You can also use other techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation or autogenic training (however, these are a little more time -consuming and you need a suitable retreat for this). Physical activities such as walking or yoga can also help you relax and reduce stress.
Through regular sport , they release endorphins that we know that they make us happy and reduce the tension. movement offers compensation for sitting behavior at the desk or in front of the computer screen.
It is also important that you take an extra time at least one or two times a week to do something relaxing - whether it dancing , making music , painting or taking a hot bath - as long as it serves to reduce the stress of everyday life.
Sometimes being alone and only being there for yourself can help distract yourself from everyday life and recharge your batteries. This applies especially to much employed parents, or to people in open -plan offices.
The same applies to hobbies or games : take a day free every week to do something that gives you pleasure!
There are many ways to leave the stressful everyday life behind - it is best to find your very personal way of relaxation! Your body and mind give you enough feedback. Pay attention to the signals.
Dietary supplements for more balance
Sometimes, despite all the techniques and methods for more balance, we need further support. It may also be that our body lacks important nutrients. A blood count at the family doctor can provide information here. There are also specialized laboratories for this, which particularly analyze the relevant values.
Especially in autumn and winter, our body needs a good and nutrient -rich diet in addition to recovery times.
If you don't manage to get all the nutrients through food, you will always find three classics for more peace and less stress when researching online:
Magnesium - not just for athletes
Magnesium contributes to a normal function of the nervous system and is important for psychological functions. It supports us enormously to master a stressful everyday life and is an important nutrient for our nerves. Magnesium is involved in over 700 metabolic processes.
Magnesium is mainly in higher concentration in nuts, flax seeds, bananas and broccoli. For a claiming everyday life, there are also countless preparations for additional intake as a dietary supplement.
Ptahute : Does Magnesium help with stress?
Vitamin D - the mood booster
Vitamin D is so important for creative people because we often spend a lot of time inside to work on our art. We get some vitamin D in food, but much of it comes from the sun.
Vitamin D plays an important role in the regulation of serotonin and influences the utilization of dopamine and the synthesis of noradrenaline.
A lack of vitamin D is often associated with depression and anxiety. Is someone else a bit depressed in winter? It turned out that this is partially due to a vitamin D deficiency due to a lack of sunlight.
Vitamin D preparations can help to give creativity a thrust and improve the mood. This in turn leads to a feeling of optimism and gets us out of a negative junction in which we may be in place.
What do a science journalist and a medical editor say about vitamin D? Here you can read their contribution to Netdoktor .
Maca - small tuber with great effect
Maca powder comes from the Maca root bulb, which is grown at very large heights in the Andes in Peru. Many creative people, especially musicians, swear by the invigorating effect of this tuber.
This little superfood is scientifically tested and, according to the study results, can bring amazing health benefits.
In this way, it should increase the energy and sporting performance, raise the mood by reducing the symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as brain function, memory and learning improve.
In addition, the miracle bulb is said to be the "viagra of nature" , a vegetable aphrodisiac, the potency and fertility in men and libido in women.
Maca is particularly recommended in the first half of the day, i.e. in the morning or at noon . Since Maca has a rather stimulating and alert effect, use should be avoided in the late afternoon or evening.
Read a statement on the effects of Maca by a graduate biologist and medical editor Dr. rer. nat. Isabel Siegel on Gesundheit.de: Maca - root with healthy effect?
Conclusion
Relaxation is therefore the basic requirement for creativity - but the key is primarily in implementation ! Through regular break design in the form of breathing or meditation techniques as well as physical activities and leisure activities, stress symptoms can be reduced sustainably and bring more peace to everyday life.
So you have more energy for innovative ideas and create the best prerequisites to unleash your creative forces.
Owner and managing director of Kunstplaza. Publicist, editor and passionate blogger in the field of art, design and creativity since 2011. Successful conclusion in web design as part of a university degree (2008). Further development of creativity techniques through courses in free drawing, expression painting and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market through many years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with actors/institutions from art and culture.
