Linear mind vs creative mind
“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” - Albert Einstein
Our way of thinking forms the basis of our actions and how we perceive the world around us. Sometimes we know the direction we want to take in a situation, but instead of listening to our gut, we decide to go in the opposite way because it is deemed as the more logical or rational option. We’re so used to living life based on the rational mind, yet this is precisely the part of us that can get in the way and disconnect us from our inner self and external surroundings.
Why do we need to be so rational?
Society is built around structure. There is a fear of stepping outside these social norms or boundaries and fear of taking a risk in case we make a mistake. We become bound by the rational mind, ignoring our intuition and doing the wise thing by way of society. But, there’s a danger in relying too heavily on logic. When we don’t listen to our gut, we end up distrusting ourselves. This disconnects our mind from the body. If we aren’t making decisions for ourselves and doing what we actually want to do, we no longer have control.
Disrupting the mind-body connection can put stress on the body. When we are stressed we don’t have time to create because our body is in a state of survival. There is less awareness of our surroundings as our lens starts to focus on the end result. Therefore, we rely on the linear or rational mind to make decisions. Linear thinking revolves around consistency and rules. It searches for information and patterns and applies it to another situation. Linear thinking uses the left part of the brain, which is also known as the neo-mammalian brain or male side of the brain, and frequently referred to as “the seat of logic”. We use it to articulate our thoughts and ideas.
When we are born, the left side of the brain is less active in the first two years of development. The right brain (mammalian or female side of the brain) is linked to creativity and unpredictability, and is more dominant during this time of our life. It can be viewed as the primary seat of our emotions and instincts. It is during those early years when the right brain is more active that we learn to interact with others and discover the concept of trust. Interestingly, there is a switch in the following few years as the right brain’s development slows down and the left brain becomes more active again. From then, the rational brain starts to pinpoint patterns and look at things in sequence. The focus shifts to finding a solution and ignoring the process, whereas we know that journeys matter more than the destination.
“It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” - Robert Frost
Non-linear thinking lets the creative side of you flourish because of its lack of structure, but when we can’t access the creative part of the brain because of a mind-body disconnection, we become trapped. Creativity comes in a state of letting go and is not possible when our body is stressed or disconnected. During our early years when we first became aware of trust and relationships, our creative side of the brain was in full force. We can tap into that creative mind again through mindfulness, listening to harmonic sounds, and stress-reducing exercises. It’s about letting go of trying to control the flow of life, and instead simply letting it flow. To do that you need to teach yourself how to trust yourself again. We’re often told to return to a childlike state, perhaps there is even more meaning to that than we ever realised. So next time you experience the dilemma of having very good reasons to do something, but find yourself doing the other thing (maybe the sensible thing), take a moment and ask yourself, what do you really want?
If you would like to learn more about unlocking your intuitive power and reconnect with your imagination and creativity, Elina Pavlidis filmed a very special online class for Ora Collective, called “Awakening our dormant intuitive intelligence.” You can watch it here.