Art for Stress Awareness Month
Apr 21, 2024
April is Stress Awareness Month. This is an area that isn't always for me as I suffer from "chronic stress". This can lead to other problems such as anxiety, burnout, depression, and hopelessness.
Studying for a Doctorate has increased my stress levels tenfold and is challenging my health, immune system, mental health, and more. The good news is that there are tools out there to help you fight back against these difficulties.
Art is, of course, one of them, as a photographer and artist I find that it has guided me through the most difficult of times, but there is always more that can be learned or done. We are losing too many people to self-harm, suicide, underachievement, health issues, and violence. Usually, these stem from excessive stress as an underlying cause.
Researchers such as Van Lith found that "art-making brings various beneficial outcomes to the participants. The participants experienced enhanced mood, sense of achievement, skills development, ignited spirituality, and motivation due to the art making".
Another researcher found that "artwork serves as a compilation of feelings, problems, concerns and solutions that are exclusively the individual’s own."
Here are 5 ways Art Can Help You:
1. Rest and Relaxation
2. Academic Performance
3. Meaning and Hope
4. Self-Esteem and Accomplishment
5. Connection and Meeting Others
I compiled a list of resources and studies that show how art and creative expression can help. You don't have to be a professional artist to benefit.
Creative Arts Interventions for Stress Management -->
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5836011/pdf/behavsci-08-00028.pdf
Art for your Art-eries -->
Art Making in Stress Reduction Among Undergraduate Students -->
