We're Stuck In A Perpetual Stress "Cycle" - And Creativity Helps Us End It

If you've been feeling exhausted, demotivated or drained - dial in.

Hey there!

Katina here, Daydreamers’ Co-founder and Chief Science Officer. If you’re new here, welcome - I’ll be your guide into the world of Creative Health.

Lately, something has felt off about our collective well-being. I don’t know if you’ve noticed it - I couldn’t put my finger on it at first, but this week it finally hit me.

We haven’t been talking about our well-being. Like, at all.

I know most of us have been running on empty for years now. But, this year feels different. It seems like we’ve accepted this constant background hum of chaos, overwhelm and exhaustion - something so constant, we barely register it anymore.

We’ve been trying to pretend things are “normal” - going through the motions while stuffing down the personal, collective, and existential stress that bubbles up any time we’re still for an extra moment.

Here’s the thing: Stress isn’t just a passing feeling. It doesn’t disappear because we ignore it. It’s a full-body response designed to help us survive - and if we don’t release it, it lingers around.

Think about it this way - our ancestors had built-in ways to complete the stress cycle. When faced with a threat, they ran, fought, or even danced in communal rituals that helped process fear. Their bodies knew when the danger had passed.

But today? We don’t have that release. Instead of running from predators, we sit through back-to-back Zoom calls. Instead of fighting off threats, we doom-scroll in silence.

Instead of closing the stress cycle, we let it pile up.

And over time, ignoring stress doesn’t just make it go away. In fact, that trapped stress accumulates, keeping our nervous system stuck in high alert. Anxiety becomes our baseline. Exhaustion feels endless. And, even when we do make time to rest, we don’t feel restored.

Feel familiar? 🤯

Here’s the scientific truth: It’s not enough to push through burnout, exhaustion, and anxiety. Stress is a normal, natural part of our world, but we have to actively close the stress cycle if we want to feel better.

And the best way to do that? Science shows that engaging in creative activities - whether it’s doodling, writing, movement, music, or play - helps release built-up stress, shift us out of survival mode, and reset the nervous system for good.

It’s not about making art. It’s about reclaiming our clarity, energy, and fulfillment so we can actually do something about what’s causing us stress in the bigger picture.

Unlike we’re taught, stress itself isn’t the enemy - staying stuck in it is.

Scientific Double Click: Yes, Stress Gets “Stuck”

Before we talk about creativity, let’s do a quick, little (fun) science lesson.

You know that social media trend that says, “My body doesn’t know the difference between answering an email and being chased by a bear”?

It turns out that scientifically, it’s actually true.

Stress is, at its core, a physiological response designed to keep us safe. It doesn’t just live in our minds - it takes root in our bodies.

Basically, when we encounter a stressor, whether it’s a looming deadline or a difficult conversation, our brain categorizes this danger as a potential threat - and boom, it automatically activates the sympathetic nervous system. It doesn’t matter if the “threat” is real or not; both a car racing towards us and a bad email will launch us into fight-or-flight mode just the same.

You’ve felt this shift before (probably many, many times): Your heart rate spikes. Muscles tense. Cortisol and adrenaline flood your system. Basically, your body is primed to run - except, in modern life, there’s nowhere to go.

Without a way to “burn off” this physiological response, it stays stuck in our body. This is why stress feels so exhausting - it’s not just the mental overwhelm; it’s a full-body reaction that, when left unresolved, builds up over time.

Now, our ancestors were built for this. They physically “burned off” stress by running from predators or dancing or even laughing together. They acted and responded without second thought. Even in nature, animals shake, run, or fight to physically discharge stress hormones (have you ever seen your dog “shake off” a stressful encounter at the park?).

But, in the past hundred years we have been conditioned sit still and “think” our way out of it. We scroll. We suppress. We might even replay the same mental loop over and over in our mind.

Without a clear signal that the danger has passed, our bodies literally stay stuck in fight-or-flight mode.

The stress response was never meant to be a permanent state - it was designed to be activated, responded to, and resolved. But when we don’t complete the stress cycle, our bodies remain trapped in a loop, leading to burnout, anxiety, and long-term health complications. Over time, this manifests as chronic muscle tension, fatigue, digestive issues, emotional dysregulation, and that constant undercurrent of exhaustion - just to name a few.

Now, I want you to know: Stress is a completely normal part of life - no matter how many meditation retreats you go on or emails you ignore, it will never go away. We just need to learn to cope with it better, in a way that works for how our our world is structured today.

And, the key to breaking free is actually really simple - and fundamental to who we are as human beings: Enter creativity.

Creativity acts as a circuit breaker to our stress response, shifting us from survival mode to a state of flow, where stress hormones decrease, dopamine rises, and our nervous system resets. It sends a clear signal to our nervous system that it’s safe to relax.

If it sounds too good to be true - that’s because it kind of is. It’s our brain and body’s natural superpower.

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Creativity As A Stress Circuit Breaker

Being creative, no matter how you do it, gets us out of our heads and into our bodies.

In my view, we’re not just making art or writing words - we’re giving our bodies a way to process, release, and complete the stress response in a way that modern life often doesn’t allow.

Think of it this way: Creative expression is one of the purest forms of mind-body connection. Just like running or shaking off stress in ancient times, creative activities involve both physical movement and mental engagement. This type of action helps “burn off” stored stress energy, signaling to the nervous system that the cycle can complete.

But, there are many layers to how powerful creativity as a stress-ending tool can be. Here are a few of my favorites as a Creative Health Scientist:

• Repetitive movement activates your Parasympathetic Nervous System: Most forms of creative expression require repetitive, consistent movement. Whether you’re cutting vegetables, knitting, or doodling on the side of your page - you’re helping to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system’s main function is to help us relax (“rest and digest” - ring a bell?). It also counteracts that fight-or-flight response, helping to shift the body from stress mode into a restorative state.

• Creativity catapults you into the flow state: Not only do these repetitive, creative actions help us slow down and relax, but they can even catapult us into the flow state. We talked about the science and formula behind flow in last week’s newsletter, but essentially, flow reduces stress hormones like cortisol while increasing dopamine and endorphins - moving us into a non-judgemental, stress-free zone.

• Image-based expression allows you to express emotions you can’t “describe” in words: Creative expression allows us to release emotions without needing to have the “right” words to describe how you feel. Unprocessed emotions contribute to chronic stress - and creativity provides a way to externalize and release those feelings, allowing your brain to "close the loop" on stressful experiences. With our members at Daydreamers alone, we’ve seen that expressing yourself in image form increases emotional resilience by 30%+. Wild!

• Creativity counteracts the stress of helplessness and uncertainty: Stress often feels overwhelming because it’s tied to uncertainty and lack of control. Creativity allows you to actively shape something of your own volition - making active choices, and finding meaning amidst the chaos of whatever you’re creating. This helps to counteract feelings of helplessness and restore a sense of agency over your environment.

Overall, creative expression (particularly in the way we support you in doing it at Daydreamers - focused on the process, not the output) is one of the most powerful ways to end the stress cycle and cope with the fear, uncertainty and exhaustion that seems to be never-ending in our world today.

This is true, even compared to other well-being tools, like mindfulness and meditation. In one of my favorite recent studies, researchers compared various well-being “interventions” to see what helped people cope best during COVID, and extended periods of uncertainty and stress.

They found that flow-based activities, like creative expression, were not only most effective for emotional health and resilience - their impact even grew the more time you did it. It showed that creative expression can serve as a protective factor against the psychological challenges of uncertain times.

Powerful, right?

At Daydreamers, it’s at the foundation of our entire ethos to create in the real world as a way to reduce stress in the moment and burnout over the long-term. So much so, that a core component of what we do is provide our members with physical creative tools designed to close the stress loop and catapult you into flow - no matter your skill, time or talent.

But, no matter what tools you’re using, style you’re creating or even how often you do it - remember that constant, chronic stress isn’t just a way of life we need to accept.

Our creative brains are wired to help us get out of it - so that we can ultimately make our world a more connected, healthy and enjoyable place for everyone. With us?

- Katina

Daydreamers’ Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer

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Enjoy what you’re learning?

At Daydreamers, we’re not just talking about creativity; we’re actively making it a regular part of your life. Creative Health doesn’t have to be something you have to put off - we make it easy, simple and enjoyable to do.

And, joining Daydreamers isn’t just about unlocking your own Creative Health - it’s about fueling a movement that keeps these free resources alive for everyone. Because a more creative world is a healthier one 💭✨

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Creative Health Protocol 🧠

This newsletter is the what, and the Daydreamers platform is the how - your guide to turning Creative Health insights into real, tangible action. Here’s a peek.

Cultivate Eustress

• What it is: You might be surprised to learn that not all stress is bad - in fact, creative expression helps us get rid of “bad” stress while also strengthening “good” stress. Good stress, or scientifically known as eustress, is a type of positive stress that helps us build resilience, increase motivation and even modulate cortisol. Unlike chronic stress, which wears us down, eustress helps us rise to challenges, adapt, and even thrive. It happens when we’re creating, playing and trying new things.

• How you can experiment with it: At Daydreamers, we’re big believers that short, consistent “sprints” of creative expression can reduce the bad kind of stress while enhancing eustress. We call it a creative exercise. You might try leaving your creative tools next to your desk, and next time you wrap up a stressful meeting, let yourself doodle for a few minutes. Short, repetitive movements that encourage your creative brain to think differently strike a perfect balance.

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What We’re Loving This Week 🪐

We’re all about simplicity, clarity and depth - so instead of overwhelming you with a random mix of news, here’s one standout idea, read, brand or project that’s really supporting our Creative Health this week.

The Social Prescribing Movement

What if, instead of a prescription for medication, you walked out of your doctor’s office with a referral for a creative practice? We are really excited about the social prescribing movement at Daydreamers - it’s a growing movement in healthcare that’s using creative, social, and community-based experiences as medicine. It was started in the UK but is quickly moving to the U.S. and around the world - read more about it here.

Tell us in the comments: Have you ever thought about your creative practice as “medicine”? Why or why not? 🧠

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We’re on a mission to reach 100,000 Creative Brains - because Creative Health isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s essential for our individual and collective well-being. If you’re loving these insights, chances are, someone in your world will too.

Forward this to a friend who could use more creativity, flow, and inspiration in their life. Let’s build a movement where creativity isn’t an afterthought - it’s a way of life.