ART MEETS SELF-CARE

FLEXING YOUR CREATIVE MUSCLES HAS NUMEROUS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON YOUR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING. LET'S GET INTO IT...

- CHARNDRÉ KIPPIE, SAADIQAH SCHROEDER

Ever noticed how calming painting, drawing, dancing or writing can be? When you dance, you move freely to the music and forget your worries. As you write or draw, you are happily immersed in your imagination. While you're being creative, you become absorbed by the activity you're doing and your mind enters a state of flow. Stressful thoughts are dissolved as you concentrate on the creative act.

THE BENEFITS OF BEING CREATIVE

Whether you choose to paint, knit, craft, colour in or write, each creative pursuit has a similar effect to meditation - helping to focus your mind and control your thoughts. What's more, when you're engaged in something you enjoy, the feel-good hormone dopamine is released. This not only allows you to experience pleasure but helps to ease anxiety and stress, acting as an effective mental-health therapy.

WHAT IS ART THERAPY?

When being creative, you express both your artistic and emotional sides. Art therapy, in turn, uses this to examine and help treat mental-health conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress disorders and addictions.

It involves using familiar creative techniques such as colouring in, writing, drawing, painting, making collages, sculpting and so on, and is usually guided by a mental-health professional such as an art- and occupational therapist or psychologist.

By examining a person's art, they will get a better idea of their feelings, behaviour, psyche and any underlying issues. This can help to better diagnose them and treat them in the most appropriate way.