When a person is suffering from depression, physical health issues, and other problems in their life, they can turn to different avenues to help them heal, besides following professional and medical advice. Art is one effective method of helping oneself to recover from mental and physical issues. It can become a sort of therapy for anyone who is depressed, battling a disease, or someone who is looking for a distraction from the everyday chaos, especially in this time of the pandemic.
Art therapy
People suffering from mental and physical illness can channel their minds into creating beautiful art, whether painting on a canvas or wall, making a sculpture, or dabbling in other forms of art such as singing and dancing. Painting is one form that many people suffering from depression, and anxiety can do. They can express their feelings thru the paintings that they make. They don’t have to be good at creating drawings to be good at art. They can express thru colors, shapes, and abstract images. There is no right or wrong in making artwork. Painting is a therapeutic exercise that can ease one’s mind from chaos, overthinking and sadness.
Mental health during a pandemic
We are in the 4th month of quarantine, and cabin fever is real. Many of us feel cramped, bored, and isolated in our houses, and what better way to channel our energies than to create artwork that we can be proud of. A few art materials – paint, canvas, brushes, clays, and others are all we need to ease the boredom and isolation that we are feeling right now. We can also encourage our children to do the same for their own well-being. Taking care of our mental health during this time is as essential as taking care of our physical health, and art can help us cope. You can start it as a hobby, and maybe eventually make something out of it.
Personal circumstances as art inspiration
Many people use their struggles as inspiration for their art. Individual situations are a great conduit to express oneself thru art. People who are not verbally expressive of their thoughts and feelings can channel their emotions by painting an artwork that is expressive of their feelings. A lot of great artists went through difficult situations that they used to create magnificent pieces of classic and contemporary art that now fetch significant amounts at auctions and sales.
Quality of life can be greatly improved by having a hobby, such as painting. It can even become a source of income. But if the sole purpose is to help someone heal from mental and physical health issues, then getting into art will be a worthwhile activity. It is not always medications that can help a person improve their health. Many times it is also nature, family, friends, and other things. Going into art does not need professional training; all one needs are a few art materials of the medium that they prefer, motivation, and some inspiration to start.
Photo Attribution:
1st and featured image from https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1558882423-94b8af461d6f?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEyMDd9&auto=format&fit=crop&w=1050&q=80
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