Ever get lost in a painting that made you feel something? Art speaks to all of us, whether we’re the artists or the viewers. Art isn’t just beautiful, it’s a powerful tool for mental stimulation and expression. Artistic expression has shown excellent results in reducing anxiety, depression, and stress. Art therapy provides a sense of calm and relaxation. It allows time to focus on something and distract your mind from daily burdens. This distraction can help to strengthen your ability to focus and promote mindfulness.
Art is great for expression but it’s also great for connection. Many mental health conditions can make one feel lonely, but creative activities and artistic expression can give people a sense of community among other artists. There are many local art programs that one can enroll in to help build relationships with other members of your local artistic community. This sense of community drastically improves the sense of isolation many people with mental health conditions may feel. I recommend looking at the offerings in your local community at recreation centers, libraries, and community colleges.
Oftentimes those suffering mentally tend to feel low, self-conscious, and lacking self-worth. Creative expression can help in all of these areas. Creative activities often boost our endorphins, and improve our moods and overall satisfaction. Having something tangible that you put focus, effort, and time into can give the artist a sense of accomplishment and pride in themselves. Once you’ve found pride in something, a skill that you find within yourself, self-esteem and overall confidence will see a boost as well. Boosting confidence, pride, and self-esteem can provide more room for self-love and dedication to recovery from mental illness.
According to the National Library of Medicine, and a study performed about the connection between art and healing and public health- studies have shown scientifically proven results that art can lessen the symptoms of trauma and mental illness. Some examples of creative activities that can help mental health are drawing, painting, coloring, sculpting, photography, writing, journaling, playing an instrument, enjoying music, dancing, crafting and DIY, and even video editing. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all that can be done in art, it’s recommended just to start somewhere, one small step at a time. I personally recommend getting a coloring book that interests you and getting creative with giving it color.
Anyone can be an artist because we all have something unique to create unlike anybody else. Go on, take that first step to find your inner artist.
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