April is Stress Awareness Month and We
Care Arts gladly takes part in spreading awareness and helping people find ways
to manage their own stress. We all know
that managing our stress and enjoying life as much as possible can greatly
contribute to living a healthy life. We
are truly blessed to have the opportunity to serve individuals of all abilities
through art as we know that doing any type of art is such an amazing way to relieve
stress.
While art therapy is its own field,
you can use the benefits of art to express your creative side and drawing
skills to reduce stress and get in touch with your feelings. I think most of us
knew this instinctively as kids: virtually all of us know the joys of sculpting
something (with play-dough), painting something (with fingers), or drawing
(with crayons and other materials).
However, other than making random
doodles in the margins of a page while you’re on killing time, if you’re like
most adults, you don’t express yourself with art like you did as a kid. There are many reasons that art is a
great stress relief tool, even for those who don't consider themselves to be
artistic.
One of the reasons that clinical art
therapy is effective is that the act of drawing and creating art can help you
relieve stress in several ways. Here are some ways that creating art can
alleviate stress.
Distraction: Drawing and art can take your mind
off of what’s stressing you, at least for a few minutes. And when you’re
finished being engrossed in your sketches, you should have a clearer head with
which to tackle your problems again.
Flow: There’s a certain quality of being
called “flow” that experts say is very beneficial for us. This refers to a
state of being completely engaged in something to the point of being in a
near-meditative state. It carries many of the benefits of meditation,
leaving you much less stressed when you’re done. You can experience ‘flow’ when
you’re doing creative activities like writing and even gardening! You
can also get it from drawing.
Self Care: Just the act of having a hobby
can make you feel more balanced in your lifestyle. Sometimes, with all of
life’s responsibilities, we forget that we need and deserve ‘down time’ and
self-care. Taking even a few minutes on a regular basis to devote to a hobby
can give you more of what you need in this area.
And, with drawing, you have the additional benefit of being
left with something beautiful (or at least interesting) to show for it!
Read more about the other research-proven benefits of art and creative expression for stress relief.
Read more about the other research-proven benefits of art and creative expression for stress relief.
Draw Out Your Emotions: Sketch pictures that describe your feelings related to things in your life that are causing you stress currently. If it’s in the back of your mind anyway, this could be a way of processing your related emotions, reducing some of the stress they carry.
Process Old Stress: Sketch abstract pictures that express feelings related to past stressful experiences, as a way of processing your emotions and healing.
Keep a Sketch Diary: Keep a ‘Dream Sketch Diary’, and sketch scenes from dreams you’d like to remember or better understand.
Record the Beauty in Life: Keep a sketch diary of what you think is beautiful in life.
Draw the faces of those you love, places that bring you peace, or other pieces of beauty. The process of sketching can be a great stress reliever, and revisiting your creations can also bring you some peace in the future.
Enjoy Coloring Books: Start enjoying some of the adult coloring books that have become popular—they can be especially relaxing for those who don't feel artistic, but want to create easy, beautiful, and stress-free pictures.
To make a long story short, any and all types of art can make a huge difference in your health, even if you don't feel artistic at all. We hope you will try any of these things or other artistic ideas and see what helps you feel better less stressed.
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