Journal of Depression and Anxiety
Open Access

Art and Mental Wellness: A Therapeutic Development

Ahana Sen Gupta^{* *}Correspondence: Ahana Sen Gupta, Department of Sociology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India, Email:

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Editorial

A quality mental health is as important our physical health. We often trivialize how we try to cope, emotionally and physically, with our everyday situations, challenges and relationships. The problems one might face stretches from anxiety, mood disorders to trauma and other difficult conditions. Looking after our emotional wellbeing is something that requires to be practiced from childhood. A good, positive and assertive self will help you cherish life and handle whatever stress life has to offer. Time and again, life seems to throw adversities towards us and surviving them appears to be overwhelming. Creativity in any form is considered to be a good medicine for reducing stress and getting back your positive emotions. A positive mood also reflects on your physical wellness. Art and creativity is a fantastic method to express our mind and can act as a therapy. Channeling thoughts into creative pursuits can often be less problematic than expressing vocally. Simple everyday activities are often able to provide the therapeutic comfort that we generally seek from professionals. UK based Mental Health Foundation and several other researches affirm the constructive relationship between creativity and mental health. Inspiration and imagination to create something and being able to do so release large quantities of dopamine that helps people feel motivated and interested in their daily activities. Although a complex phenomenon, creativity can extend from coloring, gardening or cooking to writing poems, graffiti or doing embroidery. The beneficial impacts of art on your mental life are innumerable. Relaxation, decreasing stress, reduction of anxiety, managing depression are only some of ways in which creative activities help people deal with life struggles. When individuals concentrate on creating anything, they are likely to get absorbed within the task causing brainwaves to gradually slow down. The consequent neurochemical flow of serotonin and endorphins manifests pleasure and satisfaction on people. Such feelings of contentment not only help with emotional release but also behavior management. Engaging in some form of art or creative motives in your everyday life, therefore, serves as a safe space for relieving emotional sensations and helping yourself onto a path of self-discovery, joy and confidence. Find something that interests you. Start small and give yourself the time to process the positive highlights.