Painting & Anxiety

Painting has really helped reduce my anxiety in more than one way. I’ll share some of what I have come to realize about myself and how being creative has helped my mental health. Please note that this is not meant to be mental healthcare advice/guidance in any way.

One of the things I’ve realized about myself is that when I go a long time without being creative, I usually start to feel anxious and depressed. It took me a while to figure out that there is a creative side of me that needs to have an outlet to “be” creative. Once I start painting and being creative, that part of me is released and is restored to joy. If you are a creative person, you may find this to be true about yourself. You just need to make time to create on a regular basis to foster that gift and allow for joy. It’s like being a really good soccer player always sitting on the bench. Eventually, you need to get into the game and participate!

Painting takes my mind off of stressful things. There is always something going on in life. Once you get out of one valley, there is usually another one coming. Painting forces me to really focus on the process of being creative. It really requires a lot of thinking for me. It’s a great way to relieve my mind of anxious thoughts. When I am painting, I don’t have room in my brain to think about those stressful thoughts that are weighing me down. Painting can bring relief to the brain.

Painting is also a form of expression. There are some things that words simply cannot express the way that a picture can. Painting and art is really the language of the heart. If something is weighing me down, I can get relief by expressing myself through images and visuals. Having this outlet has been so good for my heart and has helped me heal.

Do you find that being creative helps you with anxiety as well?