Feeling Stressed, Overwhelmed or Anxious? Try ART as a Therapy…and a Remedy!
“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life” – Pablo Picasso
Who wants more “dopamine”?….that feel-good brain chemical! … then make art!
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that motivates you and put you on a high! It keeps you focussed and helps you plan ahead and achieve your goals…. so make art!
Creating art is an “authentic experience”.
It really doesn’t matter whether it’s through painting, sculpture, music or anything else…there is a mountain of scientific evidence that making art relieves stress and anxiety.
An artist typically expresses and captures an emotion or feeling through making art. Whether it be joy and harmony, or sadness, horror and disgust, whatever it is, it can be noticed by the world. This is why Artists can be perceived as a threat, and one of the first groups of people to be censored during wars or great political unrest.
Just the action of being able to physically express one-self creatively, is liberating and seductive.
Making Art brings to the surface deep emotions that may be hiding in cellular memories and pulls them up into the light….which means out of the body, where they may (if negative) be destructive. Once the emotions and feelings are identified, they can be looked at and understood in a much calmer way with a new perspective….this will take the positive charge off the emotion and thereby render it inactive.
Being an artist myself, people often say to me, “I wish I could paint like you, but I’m really not creative”…. and I say *@!!**#
Whether you believe it or not, YOU ARE creative and you CAN paint!…
Ask any child, and they’ll tell you, they love it and are good at it! Like any skill, however, the more you do it, the better you get. Practice makes perfect!…but what’s perfect? Who cares? Let’s just get out of our minds and into our hearts and spirit and the truth will come out. What’s on your mind? How are you feeling?
Grab a canvas, paper, board or whatever you have and paint or draw or try collage…it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you do it and enjoy it and each time it gets easier and even more joyful.
Have you noticed what’s been selling well in the shops the last 12 months? Colouring in books I’ve noticed, have had a resurgence. People are flocking to them because it takes them back to their childhood – back to fond, positive memories of having a good time and enjoying something that can take your mind off that thing you don’t want to think about!…
However, if you do want to get to the nitty gritty of those deep, dark emotions, try an Art Therapist, of which there are many. Art therapy is especially good for illnesses such as cancer or so-called auto-immune diseases, psoriasis, eczema or other skin diseases and especially stress, anxiety and a feeling of overwhelm.
Art also enhances your problem solving skills and thinking outside the square. It encourages creative thinking and balances neurons on both left and right hemispheres of the brain.
When making art, open your mind and trust that your higher self will reveal the answers you are looking for. Let this pave the way for calmness and peace, to be able to tackle life again with grace.