When you’re having difficulty dealing with stress, you may want to consider going to a therapist to help you out. But if this makes you uncomfortable, you may try immersing yourself in art as a form of self-expression. This is called art therapy, and it can help you maintain and improve your mental and emotional well-being.
The benefits of art therapy include the following:
· It can help alleviate or treat a wide range of conditions. These include grief and loss, relationship issues, anxiety, addiction, depression, attention disorders, and eating disorders. It’s been found to also help with trauma, PTSD, dementia, and even regular physical illnesses.
· It’s been found that art therapy stimulates your body to release dopamine. This is the chemical whose effects we feel whenever we do something that makes us feel pleasure and happiness. It’s also called the “feel-good” neurotransmitter.
· Art therapy brings stress relief because it can be very relaxing. Your life may be overly stressful for you, and that’s especially true if you’re battling emotional trauma, depression, or anxiety.
· It also offers emotional relief. Many of us recognize that it’s not healthy to bottle up strong emotions. At the same time, releasing those emotions must be done in a safe and healthy way. Art therapy provides such a method, as you have a healthy outlet for your grief or anger. You can vent much more safely, to the relief of everyone around you.
· You may not even realize that you’re harbouring feelings that you only have in your subconscious. But art therapy can let you recognize these hidden feelings so that you can address them directly and effectively.
· If you’re feeling down on yourself, art therapy can supply you with a healthy dose of self-esteem. It’s great when you know that you’ve accomplished or finished something like an artwork.
· Because you’re in charge of your artwork, art therapy provides you with a sense of control over something. This may be then help you get more in control of your life.
· Art therapy can also be used in a clinical therapist’s office. Sometimes adults and especially children may have trouble using words to express how they feel. But their art can be much more eloquent.
Remember that in today’s world, going to a therapist is no longer frowned upon. It’s almost considered as common as going to a dentist or a doctor. Similarly, you can go to a therapist who specializes in using art therapy to help you more effectively. The therapist can help you find the most suitable art from you can try out, and you have a person you can readily talk to about your art—and your issues and problems.
But you can try art therapy on your own. You can even try group therapy using art, which can provide you with healthy connections with other people that can alleviate your sense of isolation. Try it, as you don’t have much to lose but a lot to gain.