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Since the pandemic hit in 2020, stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues have been on the rise. Fast-forward to 2023 and many individuals are still struggling to cope with everyday life and can often feel overwhelmed by how fast-paced life is. 

While many people often use medication and medical support to find their way back to normal life, this isn’t always the best option to immediately go to, unless you’re absolutely sure that you’ve tried all your other options and none of them seem to work. 

Even if you’re undergoing medical treatment for stress induced anxiety and other health issues, you can still indulge yourself in other ways to cure your problems, so the healing process is faster and more progressive than slower and stagnant. 

For centuries, art has been therapeutic to both the artist and the admirer. In this blog, we’re going to take a look at the different ways in which you can use art to reduce and even heal your anxiety, whether or not you’re an artist. Let’s get right to it. 

Expressing yourself helps you get out of your mind

Most often, anxiety can be triggered when the mind starts overthinking certain scenarios or situations – whether it’s about the past, future, or even the present. It’s how the mind expresses itself when too much pressure is put on it. However, this pattern can be broken when you try expressing your thoughts externally in some other way, like through art. 

While some people feel better through verbal communication, where they express their fears, anxieties, and feelings until they feel better, others tend to internalize it until they can’t hold it in anymore. In such cases, art can be a form of externalizing this self-expression in a positive way, so your feelings are released one way or the other. 

Additionally, it helps you get out of your mind for a bit – since you aren’t spending time overthinking but converting those thoughts in a positive direction where you’re focused on what your physical body is doing. 

Even if you aren’t a great artist, you can always pick it up as a new hobby. There are tons of different types of art that even beginners can indulge and find joy in, especially when it comes to modern, abstract art. 

It helps shift focus and promote positive emotions

As sensory beings, we tend to be easily stimulated by visual images and graphics. That’s why you’re constantly bombarded by billboards and other visual advertisements, since companies tend to take advantage of your feelings by showing you certain images which enable you to feel a certain way – which can be positive or negative. 

When it comes to art, simply looking at something that you’ve created can help shift your focus from your internal struggles to the external world of art. This doesn’t mean that you’re going to immediately feel better the second you see a work of art – but it definitely will come to pass if you look at it long enough and actually engross yourself in the subject matter of the painting. Even if you don’t have an interest in keenly scrutinizing art, simply looking at a peaceful and serene landscape has been proven to minimize stress levels. 

That’s why it’s a good idea to always make your living space as lovely and welcoming as possible, since what you surround yourself with will subconsciously have an effect on your mind. Even if you aren’t able to or interested in creating art yourself, you can always find spectacular art pieces that you personally find calming and buy them for your home – Singulart is one such store that has numerous art pieces that are particularly focused towards calm and serene themes. 

You become more mindful of the present

Instead of getting engulfed in a cycle of thoughts which can send you spiraling down if left unchecked, focusing your attention on things that are immediately in front of you can help you become more mindful of yourself, your surroundings, and the world around you. 

Most people who suffer from anxiety struggle to focus on the present as their thoughts are constantly in a flux between the past and the future – however, by having some grounding elements around yourself, you’ll be able to get out of your head more and appreciate the beauty around you, especially through art. 

It can be a social activity that connects you

One of the best ways to heal emotional and mental wounds is by having great company that soothes your soul. Art can be a great social connector. It can either happen when you head to a fun art class where you learn the basics of painting for the first time along with other beginners, or it can happen when you go to an art museum to look at beautiful paintings – whatever the activity may be, it certainly does help to create better bonds with the people around you until you feel better.