I’ve been thinking a lot about our fast-paced, productivity-driven lifestyles. Rest has somehow become synonymous with laziness, and we rarely take a moment to reflect on life. Our inability to embrace diversity feels at odds with the globalization we once dreamed of. Decades ago, we imagined a future where technology would give us more time to relax and connect with loved ones, but here we are, busier than ever.
When I picked up Beyond Anxiety by Martha Beck, I expected a book about anxiety and the curiosity it often stirs. The cover promised just that. But as I read, I realized the book touches on something much deeper: how anxiety quietly weaves its way into almost every part of our lives, shaping the unhealthy systems we live in today that I’ve been thinking lately.
Beck takes us on a journey through what she calls a broken system—one dominated by left-brain thinking, obsessed with control, productivity, and rigid structures. She argues that this is the root of a crisis affecting not just individuals but society as a whole. The book challenges us to move beyond mere survival and instead reclaim creativity, curiosity, and flow. It asks big questions: Why do so many of us feel stuck, even when we seem successful on the surface? And how can we break free from these limiting patterns?
The book is divided into three main sections. The first, Calming the Creature, explores the biological and psychological roots of anxiety and offers practical techniques to quiet the mind. In the second section, Embracing the Creative Self, Beck shows how curiosity and creativity can pull us out of anxious loops and into a more inventive, fulfilling state. Finally, in Commingling with Creation, she invites us to experience deeper connections with the world, where anxiety fades into the background, and creativity takes center stage.
As someone fascinated by how the brain works, I found her discussion on left- and right-brain dynamics particularly intriguing. While the idea of left vs. right brain can be oversimplified, Beck uses it as a metaphor to highlight how our left-brain-dominated culture—focused on control and structure—often stifles creativity and flow. It’s not about dismissing one hemisphere but about finding balance between the two.
Beck also critiques the systems we live in, describing them as an “iron cage” that prioritizes profits over people. She argues that humans weren’t meant to function as parts of a machine—we’re biological beings meant to thrive in connection with nature, not bound by economies. Her call for harmony between humans and ecosystems feels bold yet necessary.
The book offers plenty of practical ideas and exercises to help us reconnect with nature’s rhythms and rediscover creativity as a tool for growth. By the end, I couldn’t help but reflect on how curiosity and imagination aren’t just personal traits. They’re essential for building a better, more compassionate world.
If you’re looking for a book that digs deeper than the usual self-help advice and invites you to rethink anxiety, creativity, and how we live today, Beyond Anxiety is worth picking up. It’s a wake-up call and a hopeful invitation to envision and create a life that feels more authentic and fulfilling.
Summary
Understanding the Brain’s Two Hemispheres
It’s important to note that the brain isn’t neatly divided into separate “left-brain” or “right-brain” personalities. Both hemispheres work together in a constant exchange of information, creating a complex and harmonious system that shapes our behavior. Scientists often push back against the oversimplified idea of people being “left-brained” or “right-brained.”
However, as Oxford psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist explains, that doesn’t mean the differences between the two hemispheres aren’t significant. In fact, these distinctions are central to what makes us human.
The left hemisphere is the center of logical, analytical, and verbal thinking. It excels in breaking down information into manageable parts and processing it step by step. Meanwhile, the right hemisphere is more connected to the world of emotions, intuition, and sensory experiences. It helps us perceive the bigger picture, interpret nonverbal cues, and connect with our feelings and environment.
How Left-Brain Culture Shapes Our Anxious Lives
We live in a world deeply influenced by a particular way of thinking, the type dominated by the left hemisphere of the brain. This cultural bias doesn’t just shape how we work and live; it also traps us in patterns that fuel anxiety. The left hemisphere, the part of the brain prone to obsessive and anxious loops, thrives in our current system. It’s no wonder anxiety feels so pervasive.
Ironically, the methods we use to combat anxiety are often rooted in the same left-brain tendencies. We approach it as a problem to be solved or a battle to be won, adopting a “fight or conquer” mindset. Unfortunately, this only deepens our stress instead of relieving it. There is, however, a better way, one that leans on our brain’s natural balance and taps into deeper wisdom. By stepping away from left-brain-dominated habits, we can calm ourselves and create a ripple effect of calmness for those around us.
A Culture at Odds with Our Natural Rhythms
Our modern world forces us to operate on rigid schedules, ignoring our natural cycles, physical needs, and emotions. We push through hunger, fatigue, and seasonal rhythms to meet the demands of “clock time.” This artificial way of living contrasts sharply with the balanced and intuitive approach our ancestors once followed.
Even our education system, developed during the Industrial Revolution, reflects this left-brain dominance. It wasn’t designed to nurture curiosity or creativity. It was built to train children for factory work. Today, many prestigious jobs still require people to prioritize productivity over connection and meaning, leaving families and loved ones behind to spend their days among strangers. This cultural shift has been centuries in the making, driving us toward material success while neglecting empathy, community, and purpose.
The Cost of Chasing Productivity
Our culture encourages anxiety as a tool to keep productivity levels high. The belief that happiness comes from climbing to the top of social and financial hierarchies leaves most of us stuck in a constant state of dread. This fear-driven approach makes it nearly impossible to enjoy life fully. Over time, this mindset has transformed our collective psyche, making us more focused on objects, achievement, and competition, while leaving us more anxious than ever before.
The left hemisphere thrives in this environment, constantly seeking to fight, conquer, and outperform. Yet, there’s an alternative way to approach anxiety that respects our natural instincts and aligns with how we were meant to think and live. By embracing this balanced perspective, we can break free from the relentless pursuit of productivity and rediscover the joy and calm that our modern culture often denies us.
When Work Defines Who We Are
In today’s world, many people tie their sense of identity directly to their jobs. They don’t just work to live. They feel as though they are their work. For these individuals, the idea of quitting isn’t just a career decision; it feels like losing their very sense of self.
This over-reliance on work for identity creates what’s called a “narrow simulation bandwidth.” Their jobs become their main source of stimulation, leaving little room for hobbies, personal growth, or exploration. Without their work, they can’t imagine what else might bring them fulfillment or excitement.
On top of that, fear of the unknown looms large. The thought of unstructured time or a life outside formal employment feels overwhelming. Many experience a deep, “work-ethic-induced guilt,” believing that their value as individuals depends on constant productivity. They struggle to justify their existence without the structure and validation that work provides.
These factors combine to fuel anxiety: a fear of losing identity, facing boredom, confronting uncertainty, or battling guilt.
Why We Focus on What Makes Us Uneasy
Our evolutionary instincts often push us to focus on things that make us feel uneasy or outright miserable. This tendency is largely driven by two mechanisms in the brain: the negativity bias and the hall of mirrors effect.
- Negativity Bias: Wired for Worry
The negativity bias is our brain’s hyper-alert tendency to spot danger everywhere. This trait had clear evolutionary advantages: it helped our ancestors survive by encouraging them to avoid potential threats. But in modern life, this same bias often turns us into chronic worriers.
We don’t just fear physical dangers; we obsess over social and emotional risks too. If someone gives you three compliments and one criticism, your brain will likely fixate on the negative comment. This bias fuels anxiety spirals, where our thinking becomes skewed and delusional.
In an anxious state, our brain stops acknowledging reassuring or calming information. We convince ourselves that our anxious perspective is complete and accurate because the left hemisphere refuses to believe there’s any truth beyond its own perceptions. This can trap us in a mental loop, leading to what’s called the hall of mirrors.
- The Hall of Mirrors: Anxiety’s Trap
The hall of mirrors describes how anxiety magnifies distorted thinking and blocks out alternatives. Much like a carnival mirror room, it’s hard to find an escape. The brain’s anxiety-driven left hemisphere amplifies its own fearful stories while rejecting any evidence that challenges them.
When we create anxiety-fueled narratives, the left hemisphere clings to them as The Absolute Truth. It doesn’t matter if logical evidence proves otherwise. In fact, research shows that when people with strong beliefs—whether about extreme politics or cult ideologies—are confronted with contradictory evidence, their belief often intensifies. The left hemisphere doesn’t see new information as useful; it sees it as a threat. Logical evidence becomes fuel for even stronger anxiety.
Inside the hall of mirrors, everything feels monstrous. Kindness looks manipulative, rest appears weak, and optimism seems foolish. Anxiety warps perception to the point where it blinds us to errors in our own thinking.
Escaping the Spiral
Recognizing the pain and suffering that comes from being trapped in an anxiety spiral is the first step toward change. Importantly, the same process our brain uses to make the world seem terrifying is the one we can use to create calm.
When anxiety leads us into the negativity bias and hall of mirrors, our left hemisphere insists that its perceptions are facts. In contrast, when the right hemisphere builds an experience, it acknowledges that perception is a choice. By engaging the right hemisphere, we can step out of the spiral and into a more balanced, grounded mindset.
Anxiety vs. Creativity
Anxiety and creativity are two opposing ways of thinking. When one is active, the other is essentially turned off. Research shows that anxiety shuts down creativity so thoroughly that even minor stress, like being told we’ll be paid for solving a puzzle, can reduce our ability to think creatively.
But there’s good news: deliberately stepping into the creativity spiral can help us break free from the anxiety spiral. By fostering curiosity and focusing on creative exploration, we can shift our brain away from fear-driven patterns and into a state of openness and innovation.
Escaping Anxiety and Entering the Creativity Spiral
When we step away from the anxiety-driven patterns of the left hemisphere and start using both sides of our brain, we can tap into what’s known as the creativity spiral.
Much like the anxiety spiral, the creativity spiral involves feedback loops in the brain. This time, the process originates in the right hemisphere. Instead of sparking fear or a need for control, this spiral ignites curiosity and a desire to create. It’s the mirror opposite of the anxiety spiral. One rooted in openness and exploration rather than fear and restriction.
How the Creativity Spiral Works
When we encounter something unfamiliar, the right hemisphere of the brain lights up, engaging the amygdala just as the left hemisphere does during anxiety. However, the right hemisphere doesn’t track time or worry about control. Instead, it focuses on what’s happening in the present moment.
Unlike the left hemisphere, which analyzes, predicts, and seeks to manage outcomes, the right hemisphere connects. It synthesizes ideas, actions, and people, working with the raw material of the moment to harmonize, blend, and create. This process often leads to innovative and original ways of thinking.
The creativity spiral doesn’t block input like the anxiety spiral does. It welcomes all the information we perceive, even data from the left hemisphere. By blending insights, the right hemisphere helps us create things that are useful, expressive, or simply satisfying. The process sparks curiosity, encouraging more exploration, which leads to even more inventive connections, a positive feedback loop of creativity.
Mastering the Basic Skills to Calm Anxiety
Our amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for triggering fear and stress responses, can be soothed with simple, deliberate actions. Much like calming a frightened baby, puppy, or kitten, you can gently quiet your own anxiety by practicing amygdala-whispering techniques. These skills are easy to learn and can significantly reduce stress when applied consistently.
1. Sigh It Out
Every time you exhale, your heart rate slows down a little. A long, slow exhale taps into your body’s natural ability to ease the fight-or-flight response. This universal stress-reduction tool is the perfect first step to calm yourself in moments of anxiety.
2. Soften Your Focus
Shifting your eyes from a sharp, fixed gaze to a softer, unfocused view can signal to your brain that it’s safe to relax. This subtle change in focus helps reduce tension and sends a powerful message to your amygdala that it’s okay to let go.
3. Let Your Body Move
Fighting the urge to move when you’re anxious is like pressing the gas and brake pedals at the same time. Movement, especially shaking, is one of the most effective ways to process stress or trauma. Allow your body to move naturally, whether that’s shaking, pacing, or stretching. It’s your nervous system’s way of finding balance and peace.
4. Accept Your Anxiety Creature
Trying to reject or suppress anxiety often makes it worse. Instead, practice accepting it. Even if you can only accept the part of you that resists. This gentle acknowledgment has a cooling effect on your mind and body. Over time, acceptance fosters a deeper connection with your inner capacity to stay calm and composed.
5. Murmur, Hum, Sing, or Chant
Your amygdala responds to the tones and vibrations of human voices. Harsh sounds like yelling can heighten stress, but soft humming, singing, or chanting can calm it down. Research shows that chanting is particularly effective at soothing an alarmed nervous system. The words don’t matter. It’s the vibration and tone that count.
6. Kind Internal Self-Talk (KIST)
Engage in gentle, compassionate self-talk as if you’re speaking to another being. This activates the brain’s compassion circuits, which aren’t susceptible to anxiety. Phrasing your words with kindness, such as, “It’s okay, you’re doing great,” can help you feel supported and reassured.
How to Face Anxiety and Reclaim Calm: Steps to Disarm Trauma Triggers
To overcome trauma triggers and avoid being trapped in a cascade of stress and defensive reactions, it’s essential to connect with the parts of your system that spark intense anxiety. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a safe space, exploring stress triggers, and finding your way back to calm.
Step 1: Establish a Sanctuary
Start by identifying a specific place where you already feel relatively calm and safe. This “sanctuary” will serve as a physical or mental retreat for grounding yourself.
Step 2: Fill Your Sanctuary with Glimmers
Make your sanctuary soothing by adding “glimmers”—objects or experiences that bring you moments of effortless ease or joy. Think of glimmers as the opposite of triggers. While our brain’s negativity bias tends to spotlight potential dangers, glimmers help counteract that tendency. Actively search for these small joys, whether it’s a favorite photograph, a comforting scent, or a soft blanket.
Step 3: Bask in Your Green-Light State
Spend time in your sanctuary focusing on the glimmers around you. Let yourself fully enjoy the positive sensations they bring. This “green-light state” is where your nervous system feels safe and regulated.
Step 4: Explore the Yellow-Light State
Once you’re comfortable in your green-light state, gently introduce a small stressor, something that causes mild worry or unease. The goal is to remain grounded while noticing the physical sensations of moving into this “yellow-light state.”
Step 5: Return to the Green-Light State
Use a simple sequence called SPACE to transition back to your calm, green-light state:
- Surrender: Acknowledge and accept the sensations of stress without resistance.
- Peace: Focus on even the tiniest bloom of peace you can feel.
- Appreciation: Look around your sanctuary and savor your glimmers.
- Connection: Find a glimmer that reminds you of a connection—maybe with a person, pet, or even a plant.
- Enjoyment: Focus on one beautiful thing for about 10 seconds and let the sensation of enjoyment fill your body.
Step 6: Move Between Green- and Yellow-Light States
The goal isn’t to eliminate your natural self-protective reactions but to train your nervous system to avoid overreacting when no real danger is present. With practice, you can move between these states without getting stuck in heightened anxiety after stressful experiences.
Step 7: Dip into the Red Zone
Once you’ve mastered transitioning between green and yellow states, you can begin to think about things that deeply scare you. This step allows you to confront your fears in a controlled and supportive way.
Step 8: Always Return to the Green Zone
No matter what, bring yourself back to the green-light state. While some believe it’s wrong to feel calm when the world is facing serious crises, being stuck in anger, fear, or despair doesn’t help solve problems. In fact, panic and rage have fueled much of the harm humans have caused.
When you’re in a green-light state, your nervous system naturally moves toward connection, collaboration, and creative problem-solving. This is where real solutions emerge, both for yourself and the world around you.
The Curious Life: Turning Anxiety into Creativity
Curiosity holds the key to bridging the gap between worry and wonder. By fostering interest-driven curiosity, we can start to shift our brain’s focus away from anxiety and toward exploration. When we deliberately dig into curiosity, we create new neural pathways that favor discovery over fear.
This inquisitiveness begins to replace anxiety, transforming how we engage with the world. Over time, curiosity can eclipse anxiety entirely, allowing us to approach life with a sense of openness and possibility.
By embracing curiosity, we start to make meaning from all our experiences—even the painful ones. The energy once consumed by worry is repurposed into inquiry and creativity, opening up new opportunities for growth, understanding, and connection. Anxiety is no longer a burden; it becomes fuel for discovery and creation.
The Anxiety Spiral vs. The Creativity Spiral
Both the anxiety spiral and the creativity spiral originate in the brain’s amygdala when we encounter something unfamiliar. However, their trajectories couldn’t be more different:
- The Anxiety Spiral:
- Begins in the left amygdala, which interprets unfamiliarity as a threat.
- Triggers control strategies and fear-based stories that reinforce the sense of danger.
- Feeds into a loop of escalating anxiety, pulling us inward and distancing us from the world.
- The Creativity Spiral:
- Initiates in the right amygdala, which, in the absence of actual danger, sparks curiosity.
- Encourages exploration and connection rather than control or withdrawal.
- Forms a positive feedback loop, drawing us outward into the world and embracing the unfamiliar.
The Role of Curiosity in Expanding Our World
Curiosity serves as the driving force of the creativity spiral. It inspires us to:
- Experiment with new experiences.
- Adapt to unfamiliar environments.
- Engage with the world in meaningful ways.
In contrast, anxiety works against curiosity:
- It narrows our focus, causing us to retreat and avoid new situations.
- It limits exposure to novel experiences, restricting growth and adaptability.
The Impact on Learning and Connection
- Anxiety Spiral:
- Inhibits learning by shutting down the brain’s capacity to absorb and retain information.
- Reduces our ability to feel love and connection, darkening our emotional landscape.
- Creativity Spiral:
- Motivates learning by fostering curiosity and a sense of safety.
- Enhances feelings of love, connection, and engagement with the world.
Narrowed vs. Expanded Perspectives
- Anxiety Spiral:
- Limits perspective by over-relying on the left hemisphere, which focuses on its own narrow perceptions.
- Excludes broader context, leading to fragmented and isolating views of the world.
- Creativity Spiral:
- Integrates perceptions through the right hemisphere, incorporating logical and analytical insights from the left.
- Provides a holistic view, connecting experiences with purpose and mutual understanding.
Making Life Bigger, Not Smaller
- Anxiety Shrinks Our World:
- Fear-driven avoidance creates a smaller, more confined life.
- Over time, this can lead to a cycle of withdrawal, as seen in conditions like agoraphobia.
- Creativity Expands Our World:
- Encourages stepping into the unknown and growing through new experiences.
- Builds adaptability, curiosity, and comfort in diverse situations.
- Makes life brighter, richer, and more fulfilling by fostering connection and exploration.
Following Your “Squirrel Interests”
Not all curiosity leads to deep passions. Some interests are fleeting and easily satisfied. But when we follow something that captures our attention long enough, we often encounter moments of awe and meaning that can transform our perspective. These deeper fascinations, or what we might call “squirrel interests,” have the potential to spark creativity, expand our emotional depth, and help us move further away from anxiety.
Climbing onto a creativity spiral fueled by a genuine interest doesn’t just reduce anxiety; it can deliver profound and illuminating experiences. These moments connect us with feelings of beauty, wonder, and purpose, expanding our capacity to engage with the world in meaningful ways.
The Culture Trap: Suppressing Passion
Unfortunately, our culture often discourages us from fully pursuing our passions. We’re given limited permission to explore what truly interests us, leading many to chase quick, short-term pleasures instead. While these fleeting distractions may offer momentary relief, they often leave behind a sense of emptiness, followed by heightened anxiety.
In contrast, pursuing a real passion has the opposite effect. Engaging with a genuine interest helps regulate the nervous system, steadying emotions and fostering growth. Unlike temporary pleasures, a true squirrel interest nurtures curiosity, creativity, and resilience.
Finding Your Passion: It’s a Journey, Not a Revelation
A common myth is that discovering your true passion happens in a sudden burst of clarity. In reality, the process is much gentler. It starts with a faint spark of curiosity—a slight interest in something that catches your attention.
By taking small, deliberate steps to explore this curiosity, your interest deepens. The more you investigate, the more curious you become, creating a positive feedback loop that can eventually grow into a lifelong passion. It’s a gradual journey of discovery, driven by curiosity and the willingness to keep exploring.
Breaking Free from the “We Know All the Things” Mindset
The left hemisphere of the brain often operates with a sense of absolute certainty. When we’re fully immersed in this way of thinking, we wholeheartedly believe the stories we tell ourselves and may even try to convince others to see the world exactly as we do.
This mindset, whether religious or atheist, becomes dogmatic—locked in the belief that “we know all the things.” It narrows our perception, leaving us blind to much of our actual experience. Instead of engaging with reality, we live in a world of mental projections.
Embracing the Joy of “Don’t Know” Mind
In contrast, adopting a “don’t know” mind opens up a different way of being. It means accepting that not knowing is a natural and fundamental part of being human.
When we let go of the need for certainty and step into a space of curiosity and wonder, life takes on a new vibrancy. This mindset allows us to see the world with fresh eyes, making everything feel intensely vivid, profoundly clear, and deeply uplifting. There’s a sense of emotional richness and joy that comes from embracing the unknown, creating a life filled with openness and possibility.
The Power of Shared Creativity
As humans, we are part of a global collective, a kind of planetary neocortex. A single idea born from one person’s creative mind can travel instantly across the globe, igniting comprehension and inspiring action. One awakened mind has the potential to spark a chain reaction, motivating humanity to live with purpose and repair the world.
Becoming the Magic
When we move beyond anxiety, we don’t just rediscover life’s magic. We become the magic. By channeling courage, curiosity, and creativity, we can heal as individuals and as a species. This healing leads to harmonious cooperation, free from the need for rigid structures or fear-driven control.
In this state, we embrace life with openness, finding purpose and fulfillment while contributing to a more connected and compassionate world.
Author: Martha Beck
Publication date: 7 January 2025
Number of pages: 336 pages
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