Stress Management Naturally

Creativity and innovation are the driving forces of the new economy. As such, anything that enhances creativity has to be of prime value to both organizations and individuals wishing to thrive in the twenty-first century.

If you wish to enhance your creative potential, there is a scientific strategy to directly access the source of creativity in your brain. This is achieved in part when you let go of the chronic arousal state commonly called stress.

It stands to reason that when your bodymind systems are geared up to fight or flee (that's what stress is), it is a reaction to a perceived threat, an aroused condition not conducive to heightened creativity or other hidden human reserves like expanded intelligence or intuition. Under stress we tend to be hyperalert, locked into the analytical left brain, defensive, and on guard.

When we choose to let go of stress by means of relaxation techniques like controlled breathing, muscle release, or mind focusing, we alter a range of internal states, including brain wave frequency and hemispheric balance.

In the unusual rest state identified as "the relaxation response" by Harvard cardiologist Herbert Benson, we tend to produce brain waves that are slower than those in our habitual stress state. These alpha and theta brain waves are associated with creative thinking and are a natural outcome of letting go of stress.

Your normally dominant left brain slows down and your normally underactive right brain begins to speed up. At some point, the two hemispheres of your brain achieve a more balanced state known as hypersynchrony. Since the right hemisphere is the creative, intuitive side of your brain, your ability to stimulate its activity leads to enhanced creativity and better overall brain functioning.

So if you want to be more creative, let go and let the ideas flow. As Lynn Schroeder and Sheila Ostrander, the authors of the best-selling book on accelerated learning, Superlearning 2000, succinctly state it: right state = right stuff.

Eli Bay, the founder and director of the Relaxation Response Institute in Toronto is a corporate trainer, professional speaker and host of two award-winning public television series teaching practical stress control He can be reached at elibay@elibay.com or (416) 932-2784.