Welcome to Day 6 of the Anxiety Challenge with Martha Beck.
In this challenge,
You'll explore gentle and creative ways to calm your body,
Quiet your thoughts and ease anxious feelings.
Let's jump into today's session.
Welcome back to Day 6 of the Anxiety Challenge here on Insight Timer.
Yesterday,
We built a calming sensory scene that helped us step out of anxiety.
Today,
We'll explore how even being stuck can be a powerful step toward creativity and how relaxing into don't-know-mind can spark new solutions.
Okay,
Let's jump into today's session.
So you were probably taught to solve problems by following logical steps,
By analyzing and understanding.
Sometimes that's great,
But it doesn't lead to flashes of brilliance.
To do that,
We're going to invite something psychologists call the Eureka Effect.
Eureka means I've got it or I found it.
This is a way of problem solving that allows the mind to think more creatively than we can ever do with our analytical,
Logical minds.
So,
Think of a problem you're trying to solve,
One that has really baffled you so far.
And we're going to learn this type of problem solving in real time.
Now,
To do that,
You may have to go against what you've always been taught.
You're going to need to celebrate the moments when you don't know what to do,
When nothing seems to be working or you feel completely stuck.
So,
Think of that problem you haven't yet solved and try the following steps.
Actually invite the feeling of being stuck.
It's a very frustrating sensation,
But that's because we've been taught that it's something bad.
In fact,
Reaching the sense of being stuck,
Reaching an impasse,
Is exactly the condition your brain needs to come to really brilliant new insights.
So,
Allow the stuckness to appear and try not to fight it and then go on to the next step.
Step two is surrendering to the fact that you don't know.
This is another thing you've probably been taught to avoid.
You were supposed to know the answers in school.
But this is about solving problems that no one has solved yet.
And you don't have to know the answer.
Breathe into not knowing it,
Into tolerating a state of mind that some philosophers call don't know mind.
This is not stupidity.
It's the mind at its most progressive,
Its most intense.
This is a radical openness that invites creativity.
So you might try saying to yourself,
Small reassuring phrases like,
I don't know,
And that's okay.
I haven't solved this yet,
But I can.
Or being stuck is part of leaping forward.
The next step is to take that don't know mind and go for a wander.
I mean actually wandering around.
Ideally,
This is a physical wander.
It can mean walking,
Driving,
Cycling,
Swimming,
Anything that puts your body in motion.
If you can't move your body right now,
You can try reading an adventure book or playing through your favorite song list.
Anything that you do that takes your mind off the problem activates parts of your brain that can solve problems in absolutely new ways while you're not even thinking about them.
The next step is simply waiting and relaxing until an idea pops up.
It's a bit like waiting for a chicken to lay an egg.
You can't really control it,
But if you stick with it long enough,
The chicken's going to produce something.
Going back to the problem,
Thinking it through again,
Getting stuck again,
Then letting go into don't know mind and wandering some more will keep your creativity cooking.
Things are happening in parts of your brain that are not completely conscious,
That are working on this problem and using new thoughts that are engendered by your wandering.
Stick with this process until a new solution appears in your mind.
Check it and see if it works.
Often,
This way of problem solving leads to solutions that are dramatic,
Unprecedented,
And ingenious.
The more you use this method,
The more you'll come to trust it.
Till someday you'll get to the point where a seemingly baffling problem actually starts to feel exciting.
Because you'll know that if you puzzle it through,
Reach a state of impasse,
Surrender to don't know mind,
And then go for a wander,
Your brilliant brain can come up with magical solutions all by itself.
That's the Eureka Effect.
Thought for today.
If I let myself not know and relax while I wander,
My inner genius will come up with brilliant solutions.
As we end today's practice,
What problem are you bringing into this process and what small step will you take to let it cook in your mind?
Share with us in the challenge forum.
Tomorrow,
In Day 7,
Our final day together,
We'll bring everything together by stitching your very own sanity quilt.
This is a favorite exercise of mine,
And I look forward to sharing it with you.
I'll see you then.
