Overwhelm has a way of sneaking in when you least expect it. You’re juggling expectations, holding space for everyone else, and your creative spark quietly fizzles out. You feel foggy, drained, and disconnected from the flow that used to come so easily.
But here’s what most people miss: creativity isn’t a mindset issue. It’s a nervous system issue. And the fastest way to shift that? Your breath.
Breathwork is more than a trend. It’s a powerful tool to clear emotional static, reset your energy, and reconnect with the intuitive part of you that knows exactly what to do next. Let’s talk about how to actually use it when you feel overwhelmed or creatively blocked.
Why Overwhelm and Creativity Don’t Mix
The Fight-or-Flight Hijack
When overwhelm hits, your nervous system flips into fight-or-flight. Cortisol floods your system, your breathing shortens, and your body prepares for a threat. That may help you survive a crisis, but it sabotages your ability to create.
Creativity requires access to your full brain. It needs presence, curiosity, and a sense of internal safety. When your system is stuck in stress, the pathways that lead to creative insight literally shut down.
The Noise of Mental Clutter
Overwhelm clutters your inner world. You can’t hear your intuition over the mental noise.
Breathwork clears that fog. It gives your system something to anchor into—a rhythm, a signal of safety—so your mind can stop spiraling and start focusing.
The Science Behind It
Breathwork activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest-and-digest” mode) and quiets the sympathetic system (the “fight-or-flight”). It improves oxygenation, heart rate variability, and neuroplasticity—the stuff your creative self needs to thrive.
Studies show intentional breathing can:
- Improve focus and cognitive performance
- Reduce anxiety and emotional reactivity
- Increase access to the brain’s default mode network (linked to imagination and daydreaming)
Breathwork for Overwhelm
Box Breathing (aka 4×4)
Inhale 4 counts. Hold 4. Exhale 4. Hold 4. Repeat 4 rounds.
This technique is a nervous system reset. Use it when you’re spiraling or feel like you can’t think straight.
4-7-8 Breath
Inhale 4. Hold 7. Exhale 8. Repeat for 3–5 rounds.
This is your emergency brake. It instantly downregulates stress and invites the body into calm.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Place a hand on your belly and one on your chest. Breathe slowly into your lower hand. Exhale fully. Repeat for 3–5 minutes.
This is your daily baseline reset. Do it while journaling, walking, or winding down for bed.
Breathwork for Creativity
Breath of Joy
A three-part breath paired with arm movements to energize the body.
This is your go-to when you feel stuck and stagnant. It wakes up your energy and shakes off mental blocks.
Resonant Breathing (aka Coherent Breathing)
Inhale 5–6 counts. Exhale 5–6 counts. Repeat for 5–10 minutes.
This smooth, rhythmic breath balances the nervous system and enhances access to the flow state.
Kapalabhati (Skull-Shining Breath)
Short, sharp exhale through the nose while the belly contracts. Do 30 rounds, rest, and repeat if desired.
This breath increases oxygen, stimulates alertness, and clears mental fog.
How to Integrate It
- Start Your Day Grounded: Use diaphragmatic breathing or resonant breath to start the morning in clarity.
- Use It Between Tasks: Feeling scattered? Pause and do a round of box breathing before your next meeting or creative block.
- Create a Pre-Work Ritual: Anchor into presence with Breath of Joy before writing, designing, or brainstorming.
- Bookend Your Day: Use 4-7-8 or diaphragmatic breath to decompress and regulate before bed.
Personal Moment
When I was creating my first course, I hit a stretch where nothing would come. My mind was racing with deadlines, and I started to question everything. One afternoon, I sat on my floor and did 4-7-8 breathing for five minutes. I felt my jaw unclench. My thoughts slowed. Within the hour, I had mapped out three modules.
It wasn’t that I didn’t know what to say. My nervous system just wasn’t in a state to let it come through.
Breath is the Gateway
You don’t need more time. You don’t need a perfect plan.
You need to feel safe in your body. You need a clear channel to receive. You need breath.
Your creativity is already there. Let it come through.
Need help regulating through change and creating from alignment?
Listen to The Identity Shift Series—a 7-part audio experience that walks you through becoming the version of you who no longer chases clarity or confidence. You are the shift.
