When You’re Stuck in Fear, Go Create Something

Have you ever felt stuck in procrastination or fear that you just can’t seem to shake it?

I’ve been decluttering my office (I feel like I’m always doing that!) and I came across a beautiful sparkly wall hanging of the Goddess Saraswati that I found during my years in the Bay Area.

Saraswati is the beautiful Hindu goddess associated with creativity and knowledge, and as soon as I pulled her, I heard a very clear message:

If you’re in fear, go create something.

Now, I don’t take that to mean that creativity magically makes fear disappear.

You can absolutely be afraid and creative.

But I’ve noticed something about myself.

When I’m sitting around trying to think my way out of fear, or pretend I don’t feel it, I usually don’t get less afraid.

I just get more creative about being afraid.

It is usually a similar story with the high-performing, high-achieving women that I work with. Usually when it comes to relationships, where let’s face it, trying to be in control usually backfires.

In one of their words, “Suddenly my brain has written 14 different versions of everything that could possibly go wrong.”

What if this doesn’t work?

What if they don’t like me when they find out I don’t have it all together?

What if I say how I feel and they don’t respond the way I want?

And meanwhile, nothing has actually happened.

Your energy is just swirling around looking for somewhere to go.

That’s where creativity can become powerful.

Give the Energy Somewhere to Move

When I say “go create something,” this can be very simple. What feels fun and enjoyable that you’d do for no reason other than you feel like it?

Cook something. (I made pancakes legit 2 or 3X this week and added different things in!)

Dance.

Sing.

Write one page in your journal.

Move one piece of furniture around just to see how it changes the space.

Put flowers on your kitchen table.

Make something with your hands.

Wear something that makes you feel fabulous for absolutely no practical reason.

Creativity doesn’t have to be impressive to change your energy.

And it certainly doesn’t have to make money.

I think this is especially important for those of you who are creative professionally.

When creativity becomes part of your work, it’s very easy to forget that you are allowed to create things simply because they make you feel alive.

Not because they’ll perform well on Instagram, or they’ll become a new offer, or because someone will buy them.

Just because you wanted to make something.

What Does This Have to Do With Relationships?

A lot, actually.

Fear can make us incredibly focused on the other person.

What are they thinking?

Why haven’t they responded?

Did that text sound different?

Are they pulling away?

Should I say something?

Should I wait?

And before we know it, we’ve handed our entire energetic focus over to someone else.

Creativity brings some of that energy back home.

Instead of spending the next hour trying to decode someone else’s behavior, what would happen if you used that hour to do something that made YOU feel like you again?

That’s not about avoiding an important conversation.

If something needs to be addressed, address it.

But there’s a difference between communicating about something that’s actually happening and spending three hours mentally rehearsing a conversation that may never need to happen.

Sometimes you need to talk.

And sometimes you need to get out of your head and go dance around your kitchen.

Both can be spiritual practices.

You Don’t Have to Wait Until the Fear Is Gone

This might be my favorite part.

You don’t have to become completely fearless before you create, date, speak up, share something or make a move.

Maybe fear gets to come along.

It just doesn’t get to run the whole show.

You can feel nervous about putting yourself back on a dating app and still create a profile that actually sounds like you.

You can be afraid of rejection and still tell someone you’re interested.

You can worry about how something will be received and still express yourself.

You can be uncertain about what happens next and still make something beautiful today.

That’s very different from waiting until you feel completely confident before you live your life.

Take Action Time

So here’s your experiment this week.

The next time you notice yourself spiraling into fear or overthinking, don’t immediately try to solve the entire situation.

Ask yourself:

What could I create with this energy instead?

Then give yourself 15 minutes.

Write.

Cook.

Sing.

Dance.

Draw.

Decorate.

Make something.

Express something.

And afterward, notice how you feel.

The situation may not have changed at all.

But you may have.

And from that place, you might hear your own intuition a little more clearly.

I’d love to hear from you in the comments:

What kind of creativity brings YOU back to yourself?

With love,

Diana