Art & Health

“How The Arts Can Benefit Your Mental Health (No Talent Required)”: Reflections from an NYT article written by Christina Caron.

Art of Learning Art: Dance, drawing, painting, singing, writing & playing an instrument help us to de-stress, think differently & find our playful selves. Don’t let your current-self stop you from creating art. All art forms are about learning and if you are willing to learn, you can create art.

Self-Art: Art can get you passed your problems. Draw a picture of yourself without any problems. Even the most basic drawing, can help you see yourself in a better light and a positive self-image will help you to heal & improve yourself.

Color Yourself: Coloring books for grown-ups are a thing. Coloring within the lines helps to reduce anxiety & requires your brain to focus which reduces mind-chatter. Enjoy the solitude and calm of your soul by adding color to your life.

‘Sole’ Music: Listening, playing, singing & humming music evoke emotions. Listen to songs from your youth that have repetitive rhythms, chords & lyrics that lower your stress. Then, take the time to learn to play, sing or hum the simplest songs that you can find that soothe your soul & mind.

Write Right: Get a notebook and start writing your thoughts on paper. You can call it a journal, a diary, a poem or a biography. By writing every day, you will begin to see what you are thinking and can incorporate positive messages about yourself & about your life to improve the way you think.

Moving-Arts: Get your body moving and learn the moves. Movements, such as dance, martial arts, tai chi, animal flows and running, require mind-body connection. Don’t make it complicated. Find a basic video and learn how the joy of the moving-arts can make you feel.