According to Nuno Sousa at the University of Minho in Portugal, there’s a good reason for why this happens. Sousa found when lab rats are stressed out; their responses to familiar routines become very repetitive. For example, rather than trying new maze paths that lead to food, chronically stressed rats repeatedly ran down the same dead-end paths.

Robert Sapolsky, a neurobiologist at Stanford University School of Medicine said, “This is a great model for why we end up in a rut and then dig ourselves deeper and deeper into that rut.”

When we’re stressed out we become repetitive and don’t recognize that our normal coping mechanisms aren’t working properly. So rather than trying something new or taking a different approach, we become compulsive and do the same things—repeatedly.

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”

Maybe Einstein’s definition applies to stressed out people as well?

By reducing our stress levels, over time, we can regain our natural creative capacity. Through meditating, breathing, exercising and simply relaxing the neurons and synapses in our brains recover and begin to make new connections.

Making new connections is at the center of creative thinking and developing innovative solutions. It’s easy to become stressed out—especially in light of today’s hectic and competitive world.

By learning to relax (and making the time to do so), you’ll not only eliminate stress from your life but you will be contributing greatly to your creative development. For your health and your creative capacity—make time to relax.