Imagination and Inhibition
Imagination is grossly undervalued by society.
It is a key element to living a created life.
You must be able to imagine the future you desire, or you will end up living a default life rather than a created life.
When I asked my 8-year old what imagination is, she said, “it’s the ability to see something you want to create.”
She is a genius at imagination.
You were too, at one point in your life. Chances are, making your way through a grades-based education system deeply impacted your ability to use your imagination. It simply wasn’t valued and it certainly wasn’t rewarded.
While imagination is a muscle that needs to be exercised, there is also a threat to imagination.
That threat is inhibition.
The definition of inhibition is “an inner impediment to free activity, expression, or functioning: such as a mental process imposing restraint upon behavior or another mental process (such as a desire).”
Some inhibitions keep us safe in social settings. They are learned and not innate.
When my children were two, they had no problem reaching for their friends’ snacks without asking. They hadn’t learned the social protocols of not taking other people’s food.
Inhibitions are often unconscious.
They can be competing commitments. “I should be grateful rather than advocate for myself why I deserve a raise.” Or “good girls don’t disrupt the status quo.”
But they always stop us from pursuing a certain course of action.
Inhibitions are rooted in fear, and they often reside in the body and not in our cognition.
They stem from unprocessed memories from high-stress events in life.
High-stress events can contribute to leaving the in-flight emotions unfinished in some way. (Yes, emotions are meant to have a beginning, middle, and end).
And they will remain in the body as an emotional memory or imprint.
These become the triggered emotions we experience later as inhibitions.
Like any fear-based response, inhibitions send us to the sympathetic nervous system, or flight-or-fight mode.
They cause our gaze to narrow so that we focus on survival.
If you can recognize the signs, you might just be able to pause and check-in with yourself.
Notice what is happening, and then ask, “is this serving me in this moment?”
If the answer is “no,” take a deep breath. Practice getting grounded through your five senses. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system and allows you to rest. It also allows your gaze to widen.
Keep checking in. What is the inhibition trying to protect? Is your life in real danger or is it only perceived danger?
Once you can recognize and understand you inhibitions, you can begin to weaken their power.
Photo by Jr Korpa
When you are grounded and your gaze begins to widen, that is the place where imagination can occur.
What do you see? What do you want to create?
It’s up to you.
It’s your life to live. It’s your life to create. How will you create it?
Love,
Audrey
