Can you really relieve stress and anxiety by creating art? It’s a ubiquitous question that most people ask when they get introduced to `Art Therapy` for the first time.

To be honest, you can relieve stress and anxiety by creating art. There are many forms of art you can practice for your mental health. Some of the most popular ones are Drawing, Coloring, Pattern Making, Sculpting, etc.

If you are here, I guess you are looking for some beneficial aspects of art therapy to help with your stress and anxiety. To help you out, we have created this definitive guide for you.

Stick around to the end of this article to get the most out of it. So, without further ado, let’s splash some color for our mental health.

How Does Creating Art Help In Mental Health?

I am not going to explain to you the wires of neuroscience here. Instead, let’s understand this in much simpler words. We have got a lot of chemical functioning going on inside our body.

There are a lot of components, such as hormones and enzymes, to help our body and mind grow. But, unfortunately, these also make us feel a certain way or react differently in different situations.

Dopamine is the hormone that is responsible for making us feel happy. Therefore, it is also called the happy hormone. Dopamine decreases and makes you sad or anxious when you are distressed or anxious.

Researchers on art and active creativity state that dopamine in your body increases when you make art. So, you feel good and optimistic. That’s how art helps you in your good mental health.

What Is Art Therapy?

As a general person, you may be thinking wrong the first time. So let me be crystal clear with you.

Making art in an art class and art therapy is not the same. Art therapy is more about exploring yourself and expressing your feelings in a structured way or with guidance.

Different from creating art in any art class, you don’t have to be so good at drawing something. The purpose of art therapy is never any judgment because there is no fixed way to practicing in art therapy.

You can be wrong at drawing, but you have to participate actively. That’s the only thing that is a must here.

Should I Seek Professional Help For Art Therapy?

Although you can make art on your own and at home and get good results. But in actuality, relieving stress and anxiety by creating artwork, the best under the supervision of an art therapy professional.

So, yes. It is best to seek professional help for art therapy. However, it’s a choice if you can do it independently.

The Common Structure You Will Find In Every Art Therapy

Let me tell you the apparent truth first. Professional art therapy is a real scientific thing. The procedure of this therapy is very customizable depending on many factors.

It may depend on the client’s need, available material, and the therapist’s analysis of the client or the environment. But you will find some common structure or process in every art therapy.

Let’s take a look at them.

Check-In

The first step in art therapy is the Check-In part. The process of this part is just like it sounds. Check-in means getting into something; likely, you get into the therapy in this phase.

It is the first time you, the client, meet the art therapist; this is your first session. At that time, the therapist may ask simple things like how you are doing or feeling.

They may want to know about some of your perspectives in this session. Or, you can share what you have been going through lately. In this step, you may also discover your therapeutic goal and decide what you could do together?

Art Making

Art-making is the second most common and central portion of art therapy. This is the time when you practically apply the treatment. There are mainly two ways of making art.

Unstructured art and structured art making. The art-making process also depends on factors like materials availability, who is doing the session, the art therapist, the client’s therapeutic goals, etc.

Let’s learn a little about the two types of art making.

Unstructured Art Making

In unstructured art making, there is no specific guideline or outline for making art. The client actually leads the art-making process in this type. They decide what to do and how to do it.

This way, the client is more self-motivated and directs the whole process independently.

Structured Art Making

Structured art-making is all about guidance from the art therapist to the client. It doesn’t mean the therapist will provide you with some hard and fast rules. Instead, he/she would give you something like a `Direction`.

It will only shape your thinking about the art or push you to express yourself through your art.

Discussion or Verbal Processing

Art therapy’s discussion or verbal processing can also be structured or unstructured. It also depends on various factors, like the art-making part. The central topic of this portion is talking.

There could be a conversation between the therapist and the client or no talks at all. The client could share their feelings while making art in this process, or there could be no conversation.

This depends on the client’s therapeutic goals and the therapist’s understanding of the client.

Closure

This is approximately the last stage of art therapy. It is when the client transitions to their real life from the sessions. This means they return to their regular routine before attending art therapy.

In this step, the therapist can assist the client in reaching closure and getting back to normal.

Self-Help Art Therapy At Home

Though it is always suggested to seek professional help regarding mental health significantly. Still, in some cases where you don’t or can’t have access to an art therapy specialist, you can do it on your own from the ease of your home.

Let’s see how you can do it.

Self-Help Art Therapy Solutions To Practice On Your Own

Before learning the mediums to use to perform art therapy on your own, let’s understand the best way of doing it.

The primary purpose of art therapy is to get help with your stress and anxiety, right? For this, you need to maintain some very minimal steps.

Firstly, create an environment for your art-making. For example, if you are using art for therapeutic reasons, it can’t be completed in an unorganized way or in chaos. So, you must choose a calm place to make art.

After you have chosen the perfect spot, choose a medium of art, focus on it and create whatever comes to your mind. Then, just express your feelings and emotions in shapes and colors.

Once you are done making art, keep a journal. Write down how you are feeling now and why you are feeling so. Then, you can ask yourself questions regarding your feelings and evaluate them on your own.

This journal can be used as a progress report too. So you can check on your progress after each home art therapy session.

Now let’s explore some mediums to choose from for art therapy.

Coloring Books

Any form of coloring book can help to release instant anxiety and tension. These coloring books can be of any type. Mandalas, patterns, designs, animals, or any other adult coloring book available in the market.

You can get one of your choices and start coloring it. In these books, the designs, patterns, or structures are already made; you just have to make it come to life filing in some colors.

Coloring books are the most accessible medium for art therapy ever for anyone.

Sculpting

Sculpting may seem challenging for those who are not familiar with making sculptures before. But trust me, you don’t have to be a specialist. Even though you cannot make a proper structure, you can make sculpture shapes too.

It will help you focus on self and reduce your anxiety. The only point you need to remember is to be a little mindful while making it.

Doodling

Doodling might be your best option if you have never been to proper art-making. When you need to improve at art, you just want to draw anything in no specific way, right?

Well, this is what exactly Doodling allows you to do. Take a piece of paper and draw anything that comes to mind. There is no limited space for it; you can continue until the page ends.

Besides, Doodling helps the best in expressing your thoughts because this is what you vent out in doodle art.

Pattern Making And Coloring

If you are into patterns but don’t like coloring books, you can make your own. Just take a piece of paper and draw a design without structuring anything. You can also try geometric patterns if you want.

After making patterns, color those as you want; you can keep them colorful or make them as good as black and white. There is no specific rule that you have to use coloring mediums in this; indeed, you can use just a ball pen to fill in the gaps.

Sketching

This one is for those who have a moderate hand in art. Maybe you are not an incredible artist, but somewhere art is lying inside you like a sleeping baby.

Well, sketching can awaken your inner art baby, and help you express yourself. You can sketch still life, human, animal, faces, or anything you want. There are no limitations to it.

Clay Art

I know what you must be thinking now. Clay art is for kids. How can it help you reduce stress and anxiety?

To your utter surprise, let me tell you, clay is not only for kids. Adults can also make clay art. And that is satisfying because clay is a material that soothes us somehow.

Metal Art

Metal art means any art that consists of metal like steel, tin, iron, silver, bronze, or even gold. You can use any of these metals to create your art. You may need other supplies like a mold or burner to do this.

Art From Scrap

Suppose you need help finding suitable art material near you; what to do? First, you can make art from old scraps. You can use paper cuttings, old mails, old metal pieces, worn-out mats or rugs, and possibly anything you can convert into art.

Canvas Painting

You can paint on canvas if you are passionate about art. Just grab a canvas, small or large, doesn’t matter, and paint out your thoughts.

Water Color

Water coloring doesn’t always mean you have to draw something good and then apply the color. No, you can simply use watercolor on paper in any shape or aimlessly.

You can also create different shapes with watercolor.

Pastel And Crayon Drawing

If watercolor or painting on canvas feels like a lot of work, go for pastels and crayons. It’s excellent practice to draw structures or shapes with crayons and then fill them with colorful pastels.

What do you say?

Fabric Coloring

Your art for art therapy doesn’t necessarily always have to be on paper. Fabric art, or fabric coloring, is one of the most incredible art forms. Choose an old piece of cloth and color it with the fabric color.

You can also apply dice painting to a lot of designs.

Collages

Once you reach a satisfactory level by participating in art therapy, you can try out collage. This means mixing up the art medium or using different mediums to create an art piece.

Diamond Painting

Don’t we all remember our fascinating selves coloring with diamond colors in our childhood? Well, it is time to relive that experience in the form of art therapy.

Grab a piece of paper, draw something, and color with diamond colors.

Painting With Coloring Pencil

Last but not least, creating art with a coloring pencil. It’s the quickest & most straightforward way of making art at home. It may be possible that other art materials are not available everywhere, but colored pencils are almost everywhere.

So, you can use this simple medium very quickly for your art therapy.

FAQs-

Why is art a good stress reliever?

If you ask yourself, you can get the answer quickly. Do you remember your days as a child? It is when you like to make art without thinking about anything. That is what made you genuinely happy.

It is because making art increases the dopamine level of the human body, which makes anyone feel happy.

Can art release your emotions?

Dealing with many unsolved and intimidating emotions requires a pathway to ventilate. By creating art, you indulge in an activity, and that�s how your feelings are released.

Should the therapist make art in sessions?

It is totally optional. However, an art therapist needs to notice the client while making art. So, typically an art therapist doesn�t make art with the client.

Conclusion

If you have come this far in the article, I hope you know how to relieve stress and anxiety by creating art well. Art can help you increase your happy hormones for sure.

It would be best if you are creating art to release stress under the supervision of some professional. However, while doing it, make sure you journal out the details.

That’s all for this piece. Let us know your thoughts about this write-up in the comment section below.