What is ‘Art Therapy’ and should you be using it?

What is ‘Art Therapy’ and should you be using it?

I was introduced to art therapy 10 years ago, when I was living on my own and needed something to do at night. At the time, I had no cable or internet and living on the tightest budget! To pass time, I would buy pocket-sized colouring books; and with a set of pencil crayons I would colour away in the evenings after work between dinner and bedtime. I soon came to realize that colouring was a great way to stay calm during stressful times. While I wasn’t fully aware of it yet, at the time, I was under tremendous stress after starting a new job in a career field that I had worked so hard to get into, all while navigating the highs and lows of being a woman who officially entered her career era. Colouring during those nights relaxed my mind and gave me a creative project to focus on and look forward to. The colours on the paper looked so pretty to look at: colouring pre-drawn images, pictures and designs. Sometimes I’d colour for 30 mins, at others it would be over an hour. It replaced my need to entertain myself with social media or TV and made me feel more connected to myself. I experimented with colour patterns, shading and matching. Colouring allowed me to let my mind wander. I didn’t fully know it at the time, but I was doing a form of meditation known as ‘Art Therapy’, a type of mental health care that can help people cope with their emotions, relieve stress and focus on areas they want to improve on within themselves. 

The benefits of art therapy may include:

  • Improving your mood

  • Reducing stress, anxiety and/or depression

  • Helping to cope with life challenges

  • Reduce racing thoughts 

  • Creating a sense of accomplishment 

While my days of living in a first floor studio apartment are over [along with living with no internet], my need for a creative outlet remained. Colouring pages have now turned into painting for fun and also during times when I feel overwhelmed. 

Pro tip: colouring to instrumental music, relaxing nature sounds or even to a meditation podcast can help create an even calmer environment for your mind while you colour. You can find some examples in the Curated By Britt sound library. 

Looking for a place to start, shop our beginner’s guide to art therapy, found here.

 

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