“Too much stress is a creativity choker,” writes Gail McMeekin in her book, 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women: A Portable Life Coach for Creative Women. But some days, doesn’t it seem like stress comes with the package of living? Like it stalks you as you walk from room to room, out the door to run your errands and back into the car again?

Some days, maybe even most days, the overwhelm sets in like a sweat-soaked stranger sitting oppressively close to you on the subway — suddenly, there’s not enough air, and it quickly gets unbearable. And that kind of state doesn’t exactly support your creativity.

While you can’t completely eliminate stress from your days, there are ways you can create a tranquil environment so you can focus on your craft — whatever that might be.

According to McMeekin, creativity thrives in tranquility. She writes, “Your inner peace and connection with your internal whims and spontaneity allow you to recreate the landscape of your mind and invent the new.”

Here are five ways from McMeekin’s book to promote inner peace and make creativity a priority.

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