During these challenging times, it seemed important to investigate how art therapy can help with anxiety.
In this article, I will give an insight into how the creative art making process can help with anxiety. I will outline some strategies to help anxiety and discuss whether colouring books are a useful tool for anxiety. I look at the process of art therapy and how it can enable us to express and explore emotions.
“For as long as I can remember I have suffered from a deep feeling of anxiety which I have tried to express in my art” Edvard Munch
Anxiety as a sign we need to take some time to explore and reflect
In our daily lives, we prize the ability to stay focused on our work, maintaining concentration and being confident and strong in our daily dealings with others. This can be great to help us be productive and effective at work. Although it can also make us stressed and anxious if we don’t take a moment to be more mindful of our surroundings and situation.
When we feel anxious we can feel wound up and hypersensitive. This can be a sign that we need to stop and reflect, facing our challenges. Rather than trying to put them aside and avoid them. Sometimes anxiety can develop into a panic attack when too much ruminating and overthinking forces our feelings underground. Which is when our bodies can get a reaction such as palpitations.
Often anxiety can be difficult to manage ourselves as it is like an ingrained circuit that is difficult to rewire. Using cognitive processes can only make it worse when we try and rationalise our feelings. This can serve to make is ‘act in’ and turn difficult feelings in on ourselves.
Strategies to Reduce Anxiety
- Deep breathing and counting of our breaths
- Closing eyes, expand arms and be aware of our bodies and relax
- Imagine warm feelings and a place where we feel calm
- Use the 3-3-3 method. Name three things you see, hear and feel
- Gentle exercise such as walking in the outdoors
- Accept that sometimes we do feel anxious and this feeling will pass
- Set aside a worry period every day to attend to our feeling
How Art Therapy can help with anxiety
Art Therapy is the use of creative arts in the therapeutic space with the presence of an art therapist. It can be a useful way of helping us to manage our anxiety, Making art can bring our mind and body together in harmony as we concentrate on creating an image. As well as using our imagination to let go of conscious thoughts and processes.
When making art we can reach a state of ‘flow’ where we can let ourselves relax. Moving away from the conscious thoughts and ruminations that ensnare and entangle us. We may feel that we can think our way out of feeling down. Although expressing how we feel visually can be beneficial, it can help us be more mindful of our bodies, our senses, and our surroundings.
Are colouring books as effective tool for managing anxiety?
We all remember when we were younger and we were less afraid and freer about expressing ourselves. We enjoyed scribbling and making art on paper as this was so relaxing. This explains the popularity of colouring books that can help us feel calmer by giving us a soothing structure to make marks and explore colour.
So colouring may be a useful method to deal with anxiety in the short term but often anxious thoughts are like hard-wired patterns that need to be gently unraveled. It is not a substitute for therapeutic help.
The Benefits of Art Therapy
Art Therapy can help express the deeper feelings behind the anxiety in a less invasive manner than just talking about it. It can disperse the hardened columns of fear caused by avoidance by letting go of worries and fear. For panic attacks this anxiety becomes stronger the more you try to avoid but if you express how you feel and follow the feelings through then you will never find the anxiety as it has gone away.
For a person who over analyses and rationalises their situation talking about it may not help them express how they feel. it almost encouraging them to build up more barriers to expressing their difficulty. Through making art this can help us become ‘unstuck’ through non-verbal expression.
The Art Therapy Process
During art therapy for anxiety, Art Therapists encourage the person to explore mindfully through spontaneous image-making. As well as calming and intuitive directives to allow a person to reach a state of inner calm. The feeling of mark-making helps us become more aware of our bodies. Serving to ground us, giving us a sense of safety. It is this process of art-making, creative expression, and reflection that aids self-awareness.
Conclusion
- Through the process of art therapy, we can gain a fresher perspective by using the art to contain our feelings guided by the art therapist.
- This can help us regulate our emotions and explore difficult experiences
- Improve self our awareness as well as empathy to others
- Sharing our creative work with another can be liberating
- We realise we are not alone when someone connects with our work.
- Not because it is a pretty picture but because it feels real and an authentic expression of where we are in the present moment.
“Art is restoration: the idea is to repair the damage that are inflicted in life, to make something that is fragmented – which is what fear and anxiety do to a person – into something whole.” Louise Bourgeois
Andrew C Wright
You can read more about Art Therapy in previous bolg article:
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