Creating art is a very relaxing and inspiring activity, and it is not a surprise that many people love it. Thanks to it, they have a chance to see things from a different perspective. No matter if it is a portrait or a painting, art relaxes people, stimulates the brain, and encourages positive actions. It also has numerous mental health benefits that can improve the quality of our lives and help us find a way to cope with different challenges that await us in the future.
Attending art therapy sessions has a positive impact on our lives. The best thing about them is that you don’t even need to be talented. Anyone can join them, even if they completely lack artistic skills. The purpose is to learn how to express yourself freely with the use of artwork, instead of using words. You are not obligated to create a masterpiece; you just need to relax and create a painting or a sculpture that expresses your thoughts and opinions. The purpose of art therapy is to help people express themselves in a non-verbal manner, which is a perfect option for those who don’t feel comfortable talking to others about their fears, worries, and feelings. If you are one of them, you will surely benefit from the artwork creation and enjoy the advantages that it offers. Not only the therapeutic use of art offers numerous mental health benefits, but it can also help with a wide variety of problems, including depression, anxiety, grief, loss, and addiction.
Stress Relief
One of the most important mental health benefits of creating artwork is stress reduction. It is a known fact that engaging in artistic activities can calm us down. No matter if we are painting a landscape, creating a sculpture, or playing music, we can feel stress slowly leaving our bodies. During the process of art creation, we focus on what we are doing at the moment and completely forget about our worries and things that stress us out. At that particular moment, all that exists is us, paints, and a blank canvas in front of us. Art therapy can provide a mental escape from our problems and regular activities. After the sessions, we will feel relax and ready to deal with stress more successfully than before. It is not a surprise that it is a very popular option in today’s society, as most of us lead very stressful lives. Most people all over the world deal with high levels of stress on a daily basis because of their jobs, family problems, and other issues. Luckily, art therapy sessions can provide relief from pressure.
Self-Esteem Boost
It is crucial to be aware that art therapy can boost your self-esteem. When people create art over a prolonged period, their skills can improve a lot. Their artwork gets better and better with every session. When they realize how much their skills have improved, people immediately start feeling more confident than before. They are also able to express their views and opinions more successfully than ever. All of these things result in the sense of accomplishment, and self-esteem is built on that. This critical mental health benefit is built on recognizing your accomplishments and implications to the rest of your life. When people develop artistic skills, they feel like they can do other things as well, things that they thought they would never be able to do. Thanks to creating art you can watch as you grow and your skills improve.
Creative Thinking
Unlike other activities, there is no correct answer when it comes to art. It is a creative form of expression, and it makes us use a different part of our brain compared to regular thinking. The creative way of thinking produces different brain chemicals. It is an excellent exercise for our minds as we can apply our creativity to various everyday problems and find alternative solutions that we would never be able to find without it. Thanks to exercising creative thinking through the use of artwork, our mental health will improve as we will be prepared to tackle various issues in new positive ways and with confidence.
Increased Empathy
Another very important mental health benefit of this type of therapy is that it can increase empathy among people who are attending these sessions. It is crucial to be aware that, no matter if you look at your own art, or prefer viewing someone else’s work, it will register emotions in your brain. The feelings that you get while watching someone else’s art pieces are perceived in the brain, in the same part as romantic love. As a result, the feelings of empathy and love for others are increased thanks to art, and it happens because of neuroscience and brain chemicals. It is crucial to know that empathy improves our mental health and strengthens our connections to people around us. Art also increases relationship healing and can have a significant impact on the connection between you and your partner.
Encouraged Brain Activity
The last advantage of using art for therapeutic purposes is that it encourages the activity of our brain. The explanation for this benefit is simple – whenever we make a decision to engage in a new type of activity that we have never tried before, our brain starts working on creating connections between all of our brain cells. As a result, all sorts of connections between different portions of the brain itself are stimulated. Thanks to growing new connections over time, we learn how to adapt to various new situations as we get older and older. Many things depend on our brain’s connections, such as the ability to cope with different challenges, recover from unpleasant and traumatic experiences, and more. Thanks to it, we also learn how to develop new thought patterns, instead of sticking to the old behavioral pathways that don’t serve us anymore. Something like this is very beneficial to those suffering from addiction or PTSD. People with these problems are stuck on old patterns and need help to find a way around them. Luckily, they can get much-needed help thanks to art therapy.
