For many people, the global pandemic’s effects went beyond their physical health—COVID-19 was tough on many people’s mental health as well. People weren’t allowed to go out to eat, go to concerts or travel. But with the advent of the vaccine, more avenues are opening that can improve everyone’s mental health.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Can art help improve my mental health?” you’ll be happy to know the answer is a resounding yes. This article will cover the benefits of the arts on peoples’ mental health.
Viewing and participating
The nice thing about the arts is that there’s a very broad definition of what’s considered art. Anything from knitting to coloring in pages of a coloring book can be art. In addition, while creating your own art provides mental health benefits, simply observing someone else’s art can help too. This is especially effective if you get out of your house to view the art, such as going to a movie theater or an art museum. Art can help you be social too.
The social aspect
A Tulane University article stated that individuals who experience loneliness are more likely to have anxiety and depression and are more at risk for suicide. The same article noted that social isolation can cause insomnia and lower immune system functioning.
We as human beings are social creatures, and we’re meant to spend time with other people. Consuming or creating the arts are a splendid way to do that. Going on an art walk with a friend or family member combines three things that have been shown to improve mood and mental health: the arts, exercise and spending time with others.
Or, if you’re feeling creative, you can take a drawing, painting or sculpting class with someone you know. Participating in artistic activities like sculpting, drawing or painting have been shown to lower people’s stress levels and contribute to their mental calmness.
Express yourself
Because there are so many different types of art and self-expression, you can try multiple forms until you find one that you really like or that you excel at. If you’re not much of a painter but are a voracious reader, you could try writing. You could write anything from short stories to personal diary entries to help you process what’s going on in your life.
Plus, unlike math, there are no wrong answers in art. You have the freedom to create whatever you want for whatever reason you choose. Art has been shown to promote good mental health.
Among the benefits of the arts on mental health are better self-esteem, a sense of accomplishment, enhanced cognitive ability and memory, stress relief and increased dopamine production, which is the brain chemical that makes us feel good. Creating art can also help people with chronic illnesses because it can make them forget about their illness, if only for a little while.
Call to register for stained glass classes today
No longer will you have to ask, “Can art improve my mental health?” This article has shown that it can. If you’d like to learn how to craft magnificent pieces of stained glass art, give us a call at Smiths’ Stained Glass. We got our start as a stained glass workshop, and our experts would love to share their passion with you and help you create something beautiful that you can be proud of.