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How Creativity Relieves Stress

Stress is an everyday occurrence in our modern lives. The weight of responsibilities and busy routines of day-to-day living could have an impact on all of us. One of the few ways that we can find relief is through creativity and creative pursuits. So, what are the benefits of creativity in relieving stress? As we go further, we will discuss this and how to relieve stress by doing something creative.

What is stress?

Stress is a psychological and physiological response to factors in our environment that challenge us and bring about adversity. Stress can be caused by problems at work, issues at home or school, or by a single negative event that causes either physical, social, mental, or financial harm.

There are three different types of stress that affect us:

1. Acute Stress: this is short- term stress that comes and goes quickly and can either be positive or negative. For example, the thrill of riding on a rollercoaster is an example of positive stress, while a fight with a loved one is an example of a negative stress event.

2. Episodic Acute Stress: this is the type of stress caused from repeated instances of acute stress on a daily basis. Certain professions, such as those in healthcare, result in this kind of stress.

3. Chronic Stress: this type of stress is caused by long-term instances of stress for weeks or months, caused by negative factors present in a person’s life. For example, marriage troubles, work and financial problems.

Taking part in a creative pursuit such as art, crafts, or even writing can drastically improve the effects and instances of stress in individuals. Creativity can improve and relieve the incidence of stress for the reasons explored below.

1. Creativity provides a positive outlet in which negative events and thoughts can be dealt with in a constructive and healthy way. Using painting, drawing, or even journaling could be a healthy way to process the negative emotions associated with stress.

2. Creativity through artistic pursuits helps to find an innovative way to solve problems and creates a way in which solutions can be engineered that provide lasting outcomes.

3. Creativity relieves stress by also creating a way for the body to relax, and helps to lower blood pressure and decrease the incidence of stress by lowering cortisol and creating a sense of calm.

4. Creativity allows the mind to focus on the present, thereby shifting focus away from past negative events that create a sense of stress; causing one to focus on the present moment and the task at hand.

5. Completing a creative project increases self-esteem, self- worth, and provides a sense of achievement by knowing that a worthy goal was met.

So how do you relieve stress by doing creative pursuits?

1. Doing a few minutes of drawing, painting, or coloring in an adult coloring book can help the body to relax and ease stress.

2. Active, creative movements such as dancing or walking to music can also help relieve stress.

3. Journaling, poetry, or storytelling can allow you to express yourself and relieve your stress by providing an outlet for doing so.

4. The final way involves art therapy, where you can draw and create a stress intensity scale surrounding a single event or describing a cluster of stressful occurrences in your life. You can color this scale in different colors to describe the level of stress and then discuss the feelings and negative emotions related to this stressful event with your therapist. This not only helps you work creatively but allows you to feel seen and heard and get all the negative feelings and emotions out where they can be addressed. This aids in recovery and also helps to promote well-being.

To conclude, creativity helps to reduce the incidence of stress in day-to-day life. It does so by helping you to relax, it provides a constructive outlet to process negative emotions and feelings and also helps to solve problems. So, pursue a creative hobby today to help find a better way to achieve mental health.