How to Confront Stress and Depression Using Art

6:00 AM - 1:00 PM   Dec 18, 2020
(General)

For centuries, artists from different corners of the globe have acknowledged the healing power of their artistic papernow.org expressions. Recent eye-opening findings found that art can be used for managing depression as well.

Depression has massive challenges. If you have gone through a stressful situation, then you understand how excruciation it can be to complete simple tasks. Everything you do feels like it is draining your willpower. While there may be effective solutions such as drugs and therapy, most of these options just focus on eradicating pain alone.

That’s where the option of confronting depression through art comes in.

Art therapy offers you various avenues to express yourself. As a result, it leaves behind invaluable benefits to those struggling with stress and anxiety. Notably, you don’t need the drawing prowess to enjoy all the incredible benefits. What matters is not the final product, but the steps you follow to achieve it.

When You Can’t Express Yourself Through Words

It’s not easy to reveal your deepest emotions to a complete stranger. We’ve always learned to suppress whatever we feel, then cover it with a blank face or a smile, even if your brain feels like exploding.

Contrary to other forms of treatment, art therapy does not require you to speak any words. A sizeable plain canvas or a clay lump could come through as the most convenient alternatives than voicing your painful emotions. As simple as it may seem, merely scribbling on a drawing paper could light up the end of the tunnel, create conversations. Most importantly, it allows you to release stressful thoughts.

Just because you cannot deliver your message through their years doesn’t mean there’s no communication. Thanks to art therapy, you can speak out your depression where it is impossible through words.

You Understand Your Feelings Better

Apart from serving as a communication tool, art therapy also helps you acknowledge our feelings. For instance, you may be feeling alienated or numb. But when you sit down to create a unique art project, you will regain your feeling capacity.

Once you’ve turned your feelings into a tangible piece of art, you will easily acknowledge the presence of the atmosphere in the first place.

Art Helps You Create Happiness

According to scientific studies, merely gazing at a beautiful piece of art makes the brain release dopamine. Another interesting fact is that brain activity during such a moment is usually similar to that when you are in love. Besides just completing an art project for the day, you also get to increase the positivity.

Using Art to Prevent Stress

According to recent research, participating in creative activities is more effective than just looking at artistic pieces. A 2017 study on aging, conducted by Mayo Clinic, suggests that individuals over 70 years who took part in art creative art projects displayed a lesser probability of suffering from mild cognitive impairment than avid book readers.

Another study conducted in Germany in 2014 also confirms that art can help prevent depression. The findings that seniors who took part in painting and sculpting displayed substantial progress in their spatial reasoning compared to another group that focused on art appreciation only.


Export: