Therapeutic practices consist of a wide variety of techniques ranging from internal methods and practices to more expressive means. One of the most common forms of expressive practices is known as art therapy which has proven to be a great stress reliever for many around the globe.
Art therapy, in the most lay-man terms, is a way to express oneself using arts in order to improve on or manage mental and/or emotional state. People tend to indulge in various types of creative activities closely associated with arts as a means to relive day-to-day stresses. There is no established rule that you must be a professional artist in order to reap benefits from art therapy. You could be someone with zero artistic skills and still manage to relieve your worries through practicing various different types of arts. Making use of paints, crayons, chalks or even markers to scribble an abstract piece of design is also considered one of the most effective forms of art therapy.
It is never about the end result of your artistic drawings or paintings but more about the therapeutic process through which you go under to create that piece of art which helps relieve stress. Let’s take a look at a few useful suggestions to create whenever you’re looking to unleash some creative potential and relax those stress hormones:
Go Abstract
As mentioned earlier, grab those painting, drawing or scribbling tools and use them on a huge canvas without connecting your thoughts. Just let it out – anger, depression, curiosity or any emotion that gets your adrenaline racing! The feeling you get once that canvas is full is a bliss.
Design A Card For Absolutely No One
Whether it’s a love note or a bitter feeling you once left unsaid, jot it down and design it accordingly. Let those emotions reel out of your system through this design. The way you will activate your brain cells while thinking about the design patterns themselves will itself be enough to lighten up those cortisol hormones.
Draw In The Dark
Many people feel stressed out when they’re being watched and criticized or judged over any activity or action. Better to turn the lights off and feel at absolute serendipity than feeling nervous with the lights on right? Turn those lights out and draw your heart out!
Body Art
This is one of the most interesting techniques of using art to creatively explore your body as a means of art. Draw a sketch of your body on a large piece of paper whilst lying down on it. Then use paints on your hands and feet or any part of your body to creatively create a masterpiece!
What’s the best part about art therapy you ask? You get to experience yourself as a child again and actually flow into your emotions all the way until you feel at ease. It can help you cope with workplace stress, day-to-day stress and actually put an end to any mood swings for a while as well.