I've been practicing breath meditation for long periods of time (30 min - 1 hour) daily. I've noticed that it's now become very difficult in my daily life to have quick generative/connective thoughts that one might usually associate with creativity.

Practically speaking, having fast-paced conversations with others is now very difficult. I'm unable to make quick connections to past events (you might call this episodic memory). I also find it difficult to concentrate on the content of what others say, rather focusing on how they say it. It feels as if my brain is constantly in a "dull" state.

To compensate for this "dullness", it seems I have to force myself into a state of anxiety in order to have quick connective thought. I notice by body responds to this mental anxiety with an increaed heart rate and an uncomfortable "twitchy-ness." 

In my attempts to understand this phenomenon, I've come across literature on the brain's Default Mode Network (DMN). The literature says that meditation decreases activity in the DMN, and that the DMN is also associted with long-term and episodic memory. ​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​Is this a result of the type of practice I'm doing? Should I stop breath meditation and try something else?