Let me begin by telling you a little bit about my own experience with art therapy and anxiety. Anxiety is something that I struggled with throughout most of my life. Panic attacks were familiar to me and avoiding anything that could potentially increase my anxiety was becoming my norm. I had tried talk therapy a few times throughout my teens and early adulthood, but I found it hard to stick.
What I did notice about myself is that when I drew or was engaged in some kind of hands-on project, my mind would quiet. I would feel a sense of safety that I didn't feel when I was stuck in an anxiety cycle. I could see first hand the effects that engaging in the arts could have on my mental health.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is an emotion that we all experience. It is a response to our stress system which is constantly scanning and receiving information to tell us whether we are safe or not. Anxiety is different from fear in the sense that fear is something we are experiencing in the moment, and anxiety is more focused on things that haven't happened yet (or may never happen). Anxiety keeps us vigilant. It helps us study harder for that test we are nervous about. However, anxiety can at times become chronic, debilitating and effect our everyday life. Anxiety has persistent physical sensations like a fast beating heart, shallow breathing, upset stomach and an impending sense of doom. While we all go through phases in life that we will experience anxiety at higher levels than others, some people do develop anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety, social anxiety or certain phobias.
While your brain is really really good at scanning for your safety, it's not always great at reasoning what is actually safe and what is not. What I mean by this is that your brain is excellent at making associations. Imagine you are learning to ride a bike, you fall and hurt yourself, it's minor but it still shakes you up. Your brain decides that riding a bike is unsafe, so you avoid riding your bike. When you avoid, your brain begins to think it was right about it being unsafe. But then, your brain realizes, but scooters have wheels, and so do rollerblades and so do cars. Maybe, all those things are unsafe too. This may be an exaggerated example, but what I am trying to illustrate is that your brain will continue to make associations in order to keep you safe. Which is always it's #1 goal. Art Therapy & Anxiety The thing about anxiety is there are lots of resources out there to help you better understand your own experience and body to help reduce some of the more intense anxiety symptoms. And in many cases, it can be helpful to see a therapist or mental health practitioner who can help teach you about these things. Talk therapy and Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy and one of the more common approaches for working with anxiety. However, therapy isn't one size fits all. Anxiety is a very physical emotion and we can't talk ourselves out of feeling it. Somatic, body-based and sensory approaches can help access your anxiety at a different level. Art therapy involves movement and sensory elements through touch, smell, sight and sound.
Art therapy is also a non-verbal approach to therapy. It's not to say that there isn't discussion in art therapy, because generally there is. But what this means is that it allows us to communicate on a different level. When we are in a place of overwhelm or high stress, communicating with words feels difficult. This makes sense. When we experience high levels of emotion, the part of brain that helps us to articulate how we are feeling starts to shut down and the focus is on the emotion and your brain and body determining if you are safe. Here are some ways that art therapy can benefit: 1. Non-verbal expression of emotions 2. Relaxation and stress-reduction 3. Self-exploration and insight 4. Emotional regulation 5. Building confidence and self-esteem 6. Problem solving 7. Building communication skills
These are just a few ways that art therapy can benefit. I won't go into detail with them in this post, but in future posts I will go into more detail into each. At the end of the day, finding a therapist and approach that works for YOU is what is most important. It is okay to try and few things to see what makes the most sense for you as a person. If you're interested in learning whether art therapy is the right fit for you: - I offer FREE 20 minutes phone consultations - Sign up for my newsletter at the bottom of the page to stay in touch - I offer online groups and workshops I hope to hear from you and happy creating!
Comments