Discover Wellness Strategies Using the Power of Art
You’ve got so much on your plate—work, house chores, and the kids, to name a few. Naturally, finding effective wellness strategies can seem like a daunting task. And because here at Empath Unicorn Academy (EUA), we know everyone’s spiritual journey is unique, we want to introduce you to one tool that can help you on your healing and recovery journey—art.
Art, with its transformative power, offers a unique path to emotional healing. We believe in its profound impact in nurturing your journey of healing, growth, and even thriving. I personally spend at least a few evenings every week coloring. So, I want to invite you to explore how art can be a powerful tool in your wellness toolbox, helping you to heal yourself and navigate all stages of healing emotionally.
The Healing Power of Art
Art has long been considered an activity that has abilities to heal and transform. It has been a vital part of human history and experience.
Creative expression provides comfort, solace, and a means to process complex emotions. It’s even a way to communicate and express what we cannot express with words alone.
Multiple studies show that creating art can reduce cortisol levels (the hormone associated with stress). It basically helps you move away from the catabolic levels of energy to the highly anabolic state of flow (level 6!!!).
It’s no wonder that engaging in artistic activities helps you:
- reduce stress
- improve mental clarity
- enhance overall well-being
- connect with a deeper part of yourself
- heal emotionally and mentally
Whether you immerse yourself in painting, drawing, sculpting, sewing, crafts, or writing, you enter a sanctuary for the mind and the soul. You create a profoundly therapeutic connection with the universe where your worries fade away, and you become the creator.
How to Heal Yourself Through Creative Expression
So, how do you incorporate art as one of your wellness strategies?
While sometimes you might want to work with a professional, even with art therapy, you can also start and enhance the healing process at home. If you want to improve your emotional and mental health through art, here’s a simple art exercise to try at home:
- Set Up a Creative Space: Find a quiet, comfortable place where you won’t be disturbed. Gather some basic art supplies like paper, paints, or colored pencils.
- Choose a Theme: Reflect on a particular emotion or experience you’d like to explore. It could be anything from joy to sadness or a specific memory.
- Create Freely: Allow yourself to create without judgment. Let your emotions guide your brush or pencil. The goal is not to produce a masterpiece but to express yourself honestly.
- Reflect: After you finish, take a moment to reflect on your creation. What feelings did the process evoke? What insights can you see from your artwork?
Navigating the Stages of Healing Emotionally with Art Wellness Strategies
And here is the thing. While the previous exercise is great for helping you express emotions you might be holding and unable to express through words, there are different artistic expressions specific to each stage of your healing journey.
- Acknowledgment: The first step is to recognize and accept your emotions. Art journaling can be a powerful tool for acknowledging your feelings, giving them form and substance.
- Expression: Once you acknowledge your emotions, it’s essential to express them. Creating art allows you to release pent-up emotions in a healthy and constructive way. This is where free-form art, where you let your emotions guide you, is the best choice. It can be painting, drawing, dancing, writing…
- Transformation: Through art, you can transform negative emotions into positive energy. Engaging in creative projects helps shift your focus from pain to beauty and possibility. While you can still employ the same free-form art activities here, the main focus of this stage is not expressing emotions but shifting. So, in addition to the free-form art, you can also engage in guided activities such as coloring in coloring books, crocheting, or tapestry.
- Integration: Finally, integrate the insights gained from your artistic process into your daily life. This stage involves applying what you’ve learned about yourself to sustain your emotional and mental well-being. For example, here is when you can hang one of your creations to beautify your home and bring you joy when you see it.
Heal, Grow, and Thrive with Art
Your journey of healing is deeply personal and profoundly beautiful.
And now you know how art can support you on your spiritual journey from healing to wholeness. It’s a wonderful tool to help you transform pain into power and wounds into wisdom.
Here, at EUA, we honor your reselience and we invite you to share your personal experience with art as a form of healing, growing, and thriving. What is your favorite form of art and how does it help you heal emotionally and mentally?
Share in the comments below and help your fellow unicorns heal emotionally and grow spiritually. The more wellness strategies we are aware of, the higher the chance we find one that works for us.
Note: The link to the coloring book is affiliate. If you purchase the coloring book using this link, we will get a small percentage of the proceeds.
