Art has been used for centuries as a way to help people to understand and capture the world around them, as well as their own emotions. Now, as the world heads towards a global mental health crisis, there is evidence that art itself can be the light at the end of the tunnel. Read on to find out more about why art is an incredible self-care activity.
What is self-care?
Self-care is the name for any activity that you perform in order to consciously boost your mental and physical health. It can help to prevent and improve health problems, and to boost your quality of life. Common self-care activities include exercising, practising daily hygiene routines, seeing friends or taking part in fun activities.
How can art boost your mental health?
Art can boost your mental health by helping you to express the emotions that you are experiencing and process trauma or other difficult circumstances. It can also encourage you to feel more positive about yourself and to boost your self-esteem. Not only this, but art can allow you to relax and to focus on thoughts other than your worries and concerns, therefore reducing your experience of anxiety and depression. It can also boost your cognitive function and improve your memory and resilience, which can be affected by mental health issues. In fact, art has such a powerful effect that many mental health professionals are now advocating art therapy sessions for those who are struggling.
What are the best activities for self-care?
The best art activities for self-care are those that are relatively simple and that anyone can do without prior practice. This is what makes projects such as paint by numbers kits an excellent option as these can suit any ability and age, including children and seniors. To find out more about the type of kits that are available, justpaintbynumber.com can help you to choose a custom project that can get you started.
Creating art does not have to be messy though, and if you love writing, or want to combine art with other forms of self-care, you should consider bullet journalling. Bullet journaling can help you to stay organised and to write down your troubles and emotions, while still being creative. For instance, many people used mixed media, pens or paint in order to decorate their journals.
If you want to try a new activity, pottery and clay modelling is a completely hands-on activity that can get you stuck into the art world. Not only will you feel a sense of satisfaction as you bring your art to life, but this is a cheap and easy way to start projects that can allow you to fill your home with clay dinnerware and ornaments.
When you are struggling to cope with your emotions, there is no better activity to try than collaging. Collages can be as abstract or as detailed as you want and can be combined with mindful drawing to allow you to express yourself and your emotions on paper. The best element of collage is that you can do this using any material, from old clothes and concert tickets to scrap packaging and paper.
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