5 Ways Art Helps With Mental Health

1. Art can help with depression by allowing you to express whatever stuck emotions or psychological distress you may be experiencing. Art can also help you cure loneliness by engaging with your community and being more social. For example, just by going to an art workshop or creating art to share with others, you have now made a connection.

2. Art also helps with trauma. When words cannot express your trauma, you may turn to art to release or soothe some of the pain. Trauma, particularly in the form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can be very difficult to explain with words. Sometimes, there are no words. By engaging in artistic disciplines like photography, painting or even dancing you present an avenue for the trauma to leave your body and mind. 

3. Art can also help you find meaning in your life. For those who struggle to find anything to be proud of or a sense of direction, art may provide one. This may boost your self-esteem overall. It also allows you to feel focused and in the moment and not necessarily on what is bothering you in your everyday life. Art is a great way to self-discovery and self-awareness.

4. Stress can play a big negative role in someone's life when it becomes overwhelming. Living such busy lives filled with responsibilities can take a toll. We may find ourselves not being able to relax, filled with anxiety and burned out. Trauma in itself adds layers of stress, but just being "too busy" does as well. Take some time to wind down and calm down through art or even enlist an art therapist. 

5. Lastly, there is a chemical known as dopamine that is important for us to feel good or enjoy pleasure. Drugs, alcohol, sex, pornography and sweets help stimulate this hormone. The problem with those ways is that they can quickly become addictive and destructive to your health. Art can help stimulate this chemical naturally, which will then reduce your stress and anxiety. I personally do like to live on the edge from time to time but it has downsides. No one is perfect and we may all fall into bad habits, but don't forget art is always there as a resource. 

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