Anxiety: Can Art Therapy Help with Anxiety?

What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is defined as a profession linked to the mental health and well-being of humans. It incorporates the use of creative art activities to promote the well-being of individuals. It combines the psychological approach with art. Using art therapy makes people express their feelings without communicating verbally. It is carried out under the supervision of experts mastered in both therapy and arts. They know better when to use which medium of art therapy for better results.

It is mentioned in many studies that art-making helps relax the nervous system. It decreases the release of stress-causing chemicals in the brain and calms down the nerves. Most people think that only those having experience in the art can do art therapy. But it is not true. Art making might be challenging for a few people but when it comes to art therapy, anyone can do it without having any experience in arts. Art therapy does not focus on how perfectly you do it, its main concern is to help you get rid of disturbing thoughts and feelings, and to express whatever is in your mind and bothering you.

Art therapy is applicable and suitable for all age groups. It helps them to process their feelings and learn to handle and deal with their fears and anxieties. A few studies suggest that it also helps people who are struggling with severe traumas or serious illnesses in accepting the reality of their situation and making peace with it. It is being practiced in many hospitals, schools, and other therapeutic centers around the globe.

How does art therapy help with anxiety?

Art therapy has a lot of benefits for every person. It helps boost self-esteem, makes you more self-aware, improves emotional strength and flexibility, fosters an understanding of the situation, and helps you resolve the conflicts within yourself and your surroundings using self-expression. It has played an important role in the treatment of anxiety and some other panic disorders.

During anxiety, your mind is fully occupied with negative thoughts and emotions. It becomes difficult to express what you are feeling and going through just by using words. Thus, art therapy enables you to express the deepest feelings and emotions entrapped in your heart. It is particularly important for people who are not able to speak like preschool children, or those having the inability to speak.   

Art therapy helps deal with anxiety in many ways. Some of them are mentioned below:

·       Helps Calm your mind:

Art therapy has a meditative effect on your brain. It helps calm irritable thoughts and provides calmness to your mind. It relieves the symptoms of stress, anxiety, and nervousness. When you are relaxed and focused, you can better interpret the difficult situation and deal with it. Practicing art therapy on regular basis helps you stay peaceful and calm in a long run. It has a positive effect on your overall life.

·       Improves self-expression:  

Expressing what you are feeling is really important for a healthy mind and soul. Keeping your thoughts and emotions inside your heart impacts the well-being of your mind. Many people are struggling with anxiety or depression because they are unable to talk about their fears and insecurities. Art therapy enables you to express yourself without the fear of being judged. Using different meaningful exercises, a therapist helps you to convey and admit your emotions in a constructive way. It links you with your life experiences in a positive and rewarding way without making you feel bad about yourself.  

·       Makes you more self-aware:

Having self-awareness is an integral part of a healthy and contented life. Engaging in art therapy makes you familiar with specific traits of yours that were not known to you before. When you are allowed to do whatever you want and express whatever you hold inside without any judgments and commanding hand, you get to know more about yourself. Normally you might not focus on the things that are in your unconscious mind, but doing art therapy helps you identify and acknowledge those aspects.

·       Getting rid of negative thoughts:

One purpose of art therapy is to distract you from continuously disturbing and ruminating thoughts. When you are involved in any activity it will shift your focus from the bad overwhelming feelings towards it. You will stop pondering always on your problems and staying worried rather will enjoy the creative activities done during the art therapy.

Art therapy exercises done at home:

Although it is advised to do art therapy under the supervision of a trained art therapist to have complete therapeutic benefits, however, there are some exercises that can be done on your own to have immediate results:

ü  Coloring a book 

ü  Doing mandala artwork

ü  Doodling on paper

ü  Painting

ü  Dancing