Overwhelmed? Try This 7-Minute Reset
Ever feel like your brain is constantly jumping from one thing to the next—juggling work, kids, aging parents, and an ever-growing to-do list? It’s exhausting. And when you do get a moment to yourself, the guilt creeps in.
Stress and overwhelm aren’t just mental experiences—they affect your body, too. When we’re constantly on the go, our nervous system stays in fight-or-flight mode, and our body releases cortisol, the stress hormone. Over time, this can lead to anxiety, sleep issues, and burnout.
But here’s the good news: Mindfulness can help.
Mindfulness is simply paying attention to the present moment, on purpose, without automatically reacting. Instead of judging what we feel, we meet it with curiosity and compassion.
Research shows that mindfulness increases our ability to regulate emotions, helping us respond to stress with more clarity and less reactivity. Regular practice strengthens our capacity to sit with challenging emotions without being overwhelmed by them. To respond instead of to react.
🎧 In this episode of A Mindful Invitation, we:
Practice a short, guided meditation to create space between stimulus and response
Use the power of creativity to shift ourselves out of the anxious part of our brain to a more calm state
The Space Between Stimulus & Response
There’s a quote I love by Viktor E. Frankl:
"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."
This is the heart of mindfulness—creating space before reacting. Instead of spiraling into stress and autopilot mode, mindfulness helps us pause, breathe, and respond with intention.
This isn’t just a nice idea—it’s backed by science. Mindfulness strengthens the brain’s ability to regulate emotions, lowering cortisol levels and helping us navigate stress with more clarity.
And the best part? You don’t need an hour of meditation to feel the benefits. Sometimes, just engaging in a simple, creative activity can help shift your nervous system from stress to calm.
Creativity as a Mindfulness Practice
Creativity isn’t just for artists—it’s a science-backed way to ease anxiety. Activities like doodling, baking, rearranging a space, or taking a mindful walk shift the brain from logical, overthinking mode into a state of presence and flow.
When you’re engaged in a creative task, stress fades, and your nervous system can reset.
If you’re thinking, “Okay, but how do I actually do this?”—I’ve got you.
I created the Calm-Through-Creativity Checklist, a free, printable guide with simple ways to use creativity to ease stress and bring mindfulness into your day.
