Arts and Mental Health - Dr. Sangeetha Madhu, Aayesha Bano and Neha Vishwakarma

Each one of us has strong feelings and memories associated with art and it is also a strong mode of expression of those feelings. Songs can make moods change, colors can change the level of concentration and motivation, and dancing can make us feel alive and excited, to name a few of the modes of arts that we relate to and engage with in our daily lives. It allows us to connect with our own internal world and including arts in our lives can be a powerful source of mental and emotional self-care that is effective and accessible, and that leads to calmness and peace.

Involving in art can be a very cathartic experience and has the ability to provide a sense of relief. Not only that, it can also be beneficial for impacting the health and aging of our brain and contributing to cognitive improvement. It has been found by various research that a consistent practice of art can improve self-esteem, can help us release the thoughts and emotions that cannot be expressed in words and can facilitate in the healing of trauma. When we are involved in art, the artistic processes help us create a balance between our emotional state and decision making, as it helps us to identify with ourselves more than identifying with the issue.

There are multiple ways in which arts can be included in our day to day lives, some of which are as follows:

-          Visual art – doodles, zentangles, mandalas, colouring, painting, sketching, etc.

-          Sculpture, building something or DIY projects.

-          Weaving, knitting, embroidery, chroceting.

-          Creative writing – poems, stories, anecdotes, etc.

-          Dancing and movement-based arts, fashion.

-          Listening to music, singing, acting, theatre, mimicry, playing an instrument.

Art therapy can have tremendous benefits when used as a method of self-care and self-expression. Including any one of these or any other choice of art in our lives every day, even for as less as 15 minutes can help us set a calm and peaceful tone for our day and improve our productivity and quality of life significantly.

 References

A. (2020, August 27). How The Brain Is Affected By Art - Rehabilitation Medicine. ACRM. https://acrm.org/rehabilitation-medicine/how-the-brain-is-affected-by-art/

How arts can help improve your mental health. (2021, November 11). Mental Health Foundation. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/blog/how-arts-can-help-improve-your-mental-health

Loeuy K. (2022, April 11). Art for self-care and mental health. University of Washington. https://thewholeu.uw.edu/2022/04/11/art-for-self-care-and-mental-health/#:~:text=Studies%20have%20shown%20that%20expression,something%20everyone%20can%20participate%20in.

Stuckey, H. L., & Nobel, J. (2010). The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature. American Journal of Public Health, 100(2), 254–263. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2008.156497

World Health Organization. (n.d.). Arts and health. https://www.who.int/initiatives/arts-and-health#:%7E:text=Their%20ability%20to%20provoke%20cognitive,risk%20factors%20of%20mental%20illness