When you're stressed or going through a tough time, many friends, family, and even professionals will tell you that the best ways to relax are by taking a hot bath, resting, or listening to music. But how often does someone suggest that you draw or paint?
It is a proven fact that creating art can be a great form of therapy for many types of people - whether they are artistically "talented" or not. According to arttherapy.org, making art can help with all kinds of issues people are facing, including exploring their feelings, reconciling emotional conflicts, fostering self-awareness, managing behavior and addictions, developing social skills, improving reality orientation, reducing anxiety, and increasing self-esteem.
You don't have to necessarily be an artist in order to use art therapy. Just the act of putting pencil to paper or paint to canvas allows a person to express the feelings that they cannot express verbally. Whether the product is "good" or not, it can still benefit the person in many ways.
One website states that the reason that art therapy works so well is because it "is based on the premise that visual symbols and images are the most accessible and natural form of communication to the human experience," according to the theories of both Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung of the subconscious and unconscious.
If you think about it, creating any form of art requires you to use your existing strengths to create a piece that represents what you are trying to convey. Though others may not understand the meaning of it, you do. Self-awareness and understanding your own feelings is essential to truly recovering from any difficult experience.
What is great about art therapy is that it is so versatile. Any person of almost any age has access to basic materials like utensils and paper. Art therapy is also able to help those suffering from nearly any kind of mental, emotional, or even physical problem. Arttherapy.org further states that it can benefit people experiencing developmental, medical, educational, and social or psychological impairment, survivors of trauma, and persons with adverse physical health conditions and other health disabilities.
Young children are often encouraged to draw and color in the classroom as well as at home. Whether teachers and parents realize it or not, they are helping children process their feelings as well as aspects of the real world. Just as it works for children, it can work for adults, too.
Next time you are going through a difficult time, consider sketching or coloring or painting or any other art practice. The benefits are endless, and the product will always be beautiful because you have helped yourself to heal.