Art Therapy…At Home?

“How I Paint My Anxiety Away…”

Maddie, Owner of Addicted To Living http://www.lifebymaddie.home.blog

During these times, we’ve all been overwhelmed and stressed out. We’ve been hit with an enormous change in our lives. This pandemic has impacted people everywhere and continues to take its path. So, how do you cope with everything going on around you? What’s something that can take your mind off the rest of the world and allow some moments of peace?

Throughout the past few months, I’ve been painting and creating so much art. I’ve even opened my own Etsy Shop (www.etsy.com/shop/artbymaddiemvro) to sell my artwork and keep my mind away from any negativity around me! As someone whose struggled with anxiety for years, it’s super relieving to have the ability to find some peace of mind.

Due to my therapeutic experience with creating artwork, I’ve decided to share the recorded impacts and significances of art therapy with you all! Not only is Art Therapy an interesting and successful treatment program for hospital patients and PTSD victims, It’s also a great way to positively distract yourself from anxiety at home.

According to bridgestorecovery.com, “Art therapy has been found by mental health professionals to be helpful in reducing symptoms of anxiety.”

Knowing that mental health professionals have found art therapy to be helpful in the reduction of anxious symptoms, it’s likely that art can be therapeutic for those struggling with anxiety in their own homes. Therefore, people that are having a hard time dealing with their mental health during this quarantine could turn to art therapy as a way to cope and distract their minds.

The three main impacts of art therapy (from bridgestorecovery.com) are extremely important! When comparing this treatment program to an ideal method to help those struggling with anxiety in their homes, it’s essential to understand these three impacts (also how I define my own Art Therapy At Home experience!)

The first impact is the calming of the nervous system. Due to the meditative and soothing activities done in art therapy, symptoms of stress or irritability can be soothed. Therefore, doing simple activities, like drawing or painting, in quiet environments can have similar impacts on the nervous system. With this in mind, it can be inferred that simple artistic activities can be efficient in calming individuals with anxiety (especially at home, where they’re possibly trying to find an outlet for their stress.)

The second impact is an encouragement of self-expression. It’s observed that some people suffering from anxiety have a difficult time talking about specific feelings that they have. Therefore, Art Therapy can allow those individuals to express themselves in a way they couldn’t with words. This can be done at home as well by enabling yourself to express your feelings throughout your artwork.

The third impact is an increase in self awareness. Throughout the studies of Art Therapy programs, it has been observed that engaging in creative pursuits can allow the discovering of new aspects to your individuality. Therefore, engaging in art can allow you to find out new things about yourself!

So now that you know the background of art therapy as a real treatment program, I’m now introducing what I call, “Art Therapy At Home!”

“Art Therapy At Home”

As previously stated, I opened up my own shop on Etsy to sell my artwork. Not only was this just a simple way to make money and start out a little business, but it also had many positive impacts on my mental health. While creating work for other people, it really boosts your confidence when you receive compliments and positive feedback from those buyers. Not only does this allow that great feeling of confidence from people enjoying your artwork, but it also gives you the courage to take criticism. This way, you’re not easily discouraged when somebody dislikes your work.

On a different note, doing artwork really is a great way to calm your nervous system. In my experience, painting is somewhat of a satisfying practice so just creating designs on a canvas has positive effects on my mind. It allows me to be in one moment and just focus on the project i’m working on. This way, my anxiety is forced to exit and creativity takes over. It’s also helpful to play some relaxing music in the background (or whatever music you love to listen to!) Music has so many positive impacts on the mind, so adding it to the therapeutic practice of art won’t hurt anybody!

As a way to share more of my personal experience with art, i’ve decided to share some of my pieces on my blog! As a result, I can efficiently explain the process of specific projects and why they’ve been so helpful for relaxing my mind and easing my anxiety.

This painting is called “Textured Ocean Wave.” I recently sold it but the process was so relaxing. Adding different colors and lines to create the wave was extremely satisfying and the feeling of accomplishing a piece is so worth it.

This painting is called “Moonlit Ocean Wave.” This was actually a custom painting for someone so I recently sold it but you can just tell by looking at it that it had so many detailed lines included! Using many lines to form one piece of art is a little tedious but very worth it in the end! Plus, tedious work allows more time for easing anxiety while painting!

This painting is called “Telephone Wires In Sunset.” This is still for sale on my Etsy! I really enjoyed applying all the colors in the background because blending purple and pink is so satisfying! Additionally, the piece as a whole has a really pretty effect in a room.

This painting is called “Respect Your Mother Earth.” This was also a custom painting for someone and was actually the largest painting i’ve done so far! Therefore, it took around 16 hours but it came out so beautiful! The lines and colors were so relaxing to create and the piece was a total success!

This painting is called “Abstract Blue (Wall Art)” This is still for sale on my Etsy and took a very unexpectedly long time to create! However, filling in the stripes was helpful with my stress and the incorporation of many blues was so fun!

This was my first time painting bubbles and it was so much fun! Using different colors and creating these cute bubbles was really relaxing!I chose not to sell this exact canvas in my shop due to it being my first time painting them but I already bought new canvas panels to create more! (Stay Tuned!)

This painting is called “Pink Cloudy Moonscape.” I recently created this one and it’s still up for sale on my etsy! Clouds are truly so much fun to create and really relaxing! Building up the shape of the cloud and blending the colors to create the perfect tone has helped me so much to calm my nerves!

To see more paintings, follow my instagram @ArtMadeByMaddie or check out my Etsy Shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/artbymaddiemvro

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I hope this article has given you some understanding of how art therapy influences individuals suffering with anxiety! Not only is it an interesting treatment program used for many people already, but it’s a really great idea for easing your anxiety at home! I also hope my artwork has given you some inspiration to go grab some pens or brushes and paint your anxiety away!

Sources Used:

https://www.bridgestorecovery.com/blog/does-art-therapy-work-for-anxiety-creativity-and-comprehensive-treatment-programs/

Thanks For Reading!

Art has been an incredibly successful way for me to calm my anxiety, but everyone is different! If art isn’t really your thing… Don’t worry! There are so many more activities to try! Feel free to contact me (via email or social media) with any questions, comments, or concerns about Art Therapy, Art Therapy At Home, or other ways to ease your anxiety!

ETSY SHOP: http://www.etsy.com/shop/artbymaddiemvro

INSTAGRAM: @artmadebymaddie @maddiemvro