14/01/2022

Mental Health and Being Creative

Do you find yourself struggling with Anxiety, Depression or other mental health disorders? Maybe you’re struggling to switch off or focus? Well did you know that being creative actually benefits your mental health?

Do you find yourself struggling with Anxiety, Depression or other mental health disorders? Maybe you’re struggling to switch off or focus? Well did you know that being creative actually benefits your mental health?

Most mental illnesses are accompanied by difficulty concentrating, severe mental exhaustion and thoughts which loop in the mind. Having a mental illness can also affect your mental health in other ways depending on what mental illness you have.

Creativity has many benefits for your mental health including:

- Increased mental ‘flow’ which lowers Anxiety and boosts your mood

-Increased happiness due to the Dopamine caused by completing a task

-Helps with processing trauma

-Makes you smarter

This article is aimed to help sufferers of mental health disorders find their outlet or creative therapy in order to improve mental wellbeing. Even if creativity isn’t your forte this article contains activities that can be done alone, with friends or even at work during free time.

Creative tasks to help your Mental Health:

1. Writing is an old fashion mental health aid which has been known to help anyone from mental health sufferers who are experiencing problems with concentration to those who simply want a creative outlet. It can even be done alone, at work or with friends. Writing poems, short stories and even regular journal entries allows you to express how you feel without having to speak about it. Once a mental health disorder reaches a critical point getting the source of the problem out into the air for others or yourself can allow mental wellbeing to improve .

2. Drawing and painting have also been known as traditional forms of mental therapies going back generations, but they’re still around because they’re still effective! There are even colouring books available filled with patterns and designs to fill in if you’re struggling for inspiration or would rather not draw from your imagination. Colouring is also known as a modern day form mental therapy.

3. Dancing has been known to be very therapeutic due to the mental high people get after 30 minutes of dancing, whether alone or with other people. The mental high experienced from dancing is similar to that after working out. This mental high will leave you with a general improved mental wellbeing giving the mental strength to carry on going through your day or tackle mental obstacles head on rather than avoiding them.

4. Yoga is a mental health therapy that has been known to help those with mental health problems as much as physical problems. Yoga can be done alone or with other people and mental wellbeing is often improved the more regularly it’s done as well as Yoga being a great form of cardio for those who don’t enjoy going to the gym!

5. Pottery is great for mental health problems that might affect your mental state such as depression because it requires focus, concentration and thinking whilst still giving the same mental high associated with other art forms. This activity requires you to get in touch with your feelings allowing mental health to improve again.

6. Lego is a mental health aid that doesn’t require artistic ability, mental toughness or mental wellbeing of any kind! All you need to make Lego an aid for mental health problems is imagination and the pieces in front of you. This means it can be used by all mental health sufferers and people of all ages including children and adults without mental illness. It’s even been known for mental illness sufferers who play with Lego to use their imaginations allowing mental distress to improve.

7. Cooking has been known to help improve mental illness due to the satisfaction people get from their cooking after they eat, but there is also mental benefits for those who cook too! Cooking can lead to increased confidence and self esteem as well as the mental high associated with creating something new and delicious even if it’s just a pasta dish! So why not try cooking more at home? You never know what kind of mental health benefits you’ll receive!

8. Gardening is a mental health aid that can be used to help mental illness sufferers as much as those who do not have mental illnesses! Gardening requires mental focus and concentration due to the attention needed for sowing, digging and planting as well as mental wellbeing being improved by getting their hands dirty in the soil. So why not give it a try? You might see mental health improvements in yourself or others you know.

9. Sewing and knitting have been known mental therapies due to the mental wellbeing benefits they bring. These activities can help mental illness sufferers with anxiety and depression because it requires focus and concentration so that mental distress is replaced with mental wellbeing.

10. Puzzles , Sudoku and other mental challenges such as the Rubix cube have been known mental health therapies for mental wellbeing due to mental distress being replaced with mental wellbeing. These activities enable sufferers of mental illness to get their mind off mental problems that might affect them and focus on something different which has been known to improve mental wellness.

So why not try one of these mental health therapies for yourself? You never know how good you could feel!

Article written by EMMA THOMSON
Innovators of engraved memorial jewellery
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