Taking care of yourself actively is a great way to keep calm, relaxed, and happy when facing minor stress and anxiety. Having a great self-care routine helps us cope with daily stressors. Self-care doesn’t always mean taking a bath or doing yoga if those activities don’t work for you. In fact, you can do self-care through the arts! Here’s how.
Writing: If you enjoy writing, there are many ways you can practice self-care through this activity. For example, slam poetry is a common way to express feelings of anger or sadness. Even writing fictional stories about how you’re feeling can be a great way to channel your anxieties into a fictional character. Journaling is also a great way to release negative emotions. Instead of acting out or releasing negative emotions onto your loved ones, writing your stress, anger, frustrations, and even happy moments into a journal can help you release feelings without hurting the people around you.
Visual arts: If you’re more into the visual side of arts, there are also options for you! Research has shown that drawing or painting nature scenes can be helpful for people struggling with mental health issues. It may be beneficial to take yourself out into nature, or open a window, and draw what you see outside. If you’re less of an artist, you can also get adult colouring books or paint-by-numbers sets. If you prefer photography, you can make a Pinterest vision board, by researching beautiful photos of your dream life and creating a collage!
Music: If you like playing music or listening to music, there are so many options for you as well. Spotify playlists for happiness or relaxation are aplenty. Writing how you’re feeling in a song can also be a great way to release the emotions you’re feeling. Even practising an instrument like guitar or piano can help you get your mind off your stressors and also increase your self-confidence. Dancing to music can also be great exercise, which is also a dopamine-booster!
Being creative: There are so many other activities that you wouldn’t think are artistic, but actually are! Creating a new meal or recipe is an amazing way to expand your creativity and fuel your body with nutrients. Putting a cool new outfit together is a great way to feel more confident in yourself and express yourself through your clothes. Even jewlery-making or pottery can help you learn a new skill and take your mind off your stressors for a while!
There are so many ways expressing yourself creatively can be great for your mental health. Hopefully, at least one of these options will work for you!
