[Creative]
When it comes to art, many people believe that you need to have a natural artistic talent to be able to indulge in this creative pastime. However, the truth is that absolutely anyone can have fun with art and doing so can be incredibly soothing for the soul!
Taking some time out from your day to engage in an artistic activity, such as drawing, painting, or sculpting can quickly lead to countless benefits. These benefits range from the emotional to the spiritual, and even the physical as your stress levels lower and your body begins to enjoy this change!
The soothing benefits of art are so widely known, acknowledged and appreciated that the prevalence of art therapy has continued to spread.
What is Art Therapy?
This type of therapy is concerned with utilising different artistic activities with the intention of nurturing a person’s all-round wellbeing. This can take many forms and need not have any set structure.
Through artistic expression we can all stand to discover more about ourselves and express our creativity in untold ways. This can be especially useful for the process of dealing with a difficult event – either from the past or one that is being experienced in the present.
Art therapy usually involves the guidance of an art therapist and doing so regularly is an incredible way to lower stress, combat anxiety and enhance feelings of calm and happiness. If you wish to deal with a particularly traumatic event, and have found that conventional therapies do not work for you, then seeking the guidance of an art therapist could be a great way for you to move forwards with your healing process.
Getting into Art
Regardless of how you feel about your own artistic abilities, giving one or more creative activities a try could help you to instigate positive change in your life. It may feel natural to assume that you aren’t going to be good at your chosen pursuit, and therefore to be discouraged, but taking the time to have a go anyway could lead you to something great – you may even discover a hidden skill or a new passion!
Drawing is arguably one of the simpler art forms and requires minimal equipment. With a pencil and a piece of paper you can try your hand at drawing absolutely anything, and you can let your imagination go anywhere that it wants to. You can even sit down to draw with no clear intention in mind of what it is you are going to draw. The key is to have fun and give your creative side permission to do whatever it is that it wants to do!
Colouring for Mindfulness
Colouring books for adults have experienced a boom in popularity in recent years, with 14 million adult colouring books being sold last year in America alone*! You may initially think that this is an activity reserved solely for children, but the truth is that adults can not only enjoy colouring, but actually benefit from it mentally and emotionally too!
When you focus your attention on this simple but creative task, your mind can enter a meditative state in which your stress and anxiety levels are lowered. This activity is a fun and relaxing way to embrace mindfulness as your concentration is brought solely to the process of colouring in. It is something that you can do anywhere, anytime. It is also something that encourages you to disconnect from technology and spend some time with yourself and your thoughts.
All-Round Wellness
As we have explored in this article, art is a great way to soothe your soul and help to keep your mental and emotional wellbeing balanced. In order to achieve all-round wellness it is also important to pay close attention to your mental and physical health in other ways, such as through nutrition and exercise!
