Self Care Through Art

According to research studied by neurologists, creating and expressing yourself through any kind of art can lead to reducing cortisol levels, which are practically known as red flags for stress. Especially through the tough times with Covid-19 and transitioning back into the school season, it is important to take care of your mental health. Different art forms such as drawing and painting have been proven to calm one down so I decided to test that theory out myself. Not too long ago during the initial Covid-19 lockdown that people worldwide experienced, I tried painting multiple times both for fun, and to see if it has positive effects on my mental health. Let me tell you that it did, as cheesy as this sounds, it was almost like each paint stroke relieved a tiny portion of the stress that had been building up inside of me. Although the paintings themselves did not turn out the greatest, it was still something that I highly recommend everyone tries whether bored, or struggling with something personal. It also gave me the opportunity to spend some extra time with myself and take a break from the outside world. Oftentimes nowadays, everyone is so hooked onto their phones and screens, so getting away from them and distracting myself while doing something so calming is something I treasure deeply. There are many ways to demonstrate self care, but any kind of art, from ceramics to finger painting can be beneficial for channeling our energy to the right place. Several people seek a creative outlet or simply a new method to express themselves through art, so I think it’s very important to branch out and not be afraid to try out something new!