Benefits of creativity in alleviating mental health challenges

By Isabelle Skaliotis, 2nd Year BSc Psychology Student

In our fast-paced, increasingly demanding world, mental health challenges have become increasingly common. Anxiety, burnout, and emotional fatigue, affect thousands of us. However, creativity is a powerful tool, that can help boost mental well-being (Fisher et al., 2012).

LET US EXPLORE HOW EMBRACING CREATIVITY CAN BOOST YOUR MENTAL HEALTH?

Does Creativity Actually Reduce Stress?

Many studies suggest that engaging in creative activities can reduce stress and promote overall well-being. For example Osei (2013) found that creative intervention significantly lowered stress and anxiety in students and promoted more positive emotions.

Art and Music Therapies have been found to decrease depression and anxiety symptoms and promote positive behaviours in young people. This occurs when you are in a state of flow, completely absorbed by a task that enhances your ability to focus on certain tasks more

easily. Colouring, journaling, and other DIY crafts can be a great way to help calm your mind. Even putting on some headphones and creating a new playlist can help to lift your mood.

Creativity aids emotional processing

When dealing with difficult emotions, sometimes words can fail us. Creativity offers alternative outlets when we want to express how we feel without putting it into words. When emotions become too confusing or painful to verbalise, creativity can be a way to externalise these internal experiences. This has been found to be particularly effective in trauma recovery and people coping with PTSD (Smyth & Nobel, 2011) in lowering symptoms. Even simply doodling your feelings can help make complex emotions more manageable.

Creativity Boosts Self-Esteem and Confidence

Engaging in something creative can provide a strong sense of accomplishment when completed. This builds confidence and self- esteem (Cantero et al., 2016), especially in individuals dealing with depression, where feelings of worthlessness are common. Creativity also encourages problem solving and exploration, helping people to think more flexibly and allowing resilience to be built. More creative people have higher self-acceptance and have less concern for others’ opinions (Liu et al., 2013).

Creativity strengthens social connections

While creativity often involves self-reflection, it can also bring communities together. Joining a writing group, painting class or band can introduce a shared purpose. As humans we are wired for

connection, and isolation is a major contributor to depression (Matthews et al., 2016) and social anxiety (Teo et al., 2013). Creative communities provide a safe space to share stories and feel seen, which is vital for mental health.

Creativity activates healing brain states

When people engage in creative tasks, regions of the brain linked to emotional regulation and reward light up. For example the prefrontal cortex, responsible for regulating emotions, becomes more active as well as the limbic system which helps us control our motivations. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to “re-wire” itself, allowing us to learn and retain new skills.

Research suggests that creativity can be improved with training (Sun et al., 2016) which

assist in idea generation and higher-level thinking. Essentially, by engaging in creative activities we are able to change our brain and teach ourselves to become more creative and think differently. Reward systems also release dopamine, which is the neurotransmitter involved in motivation, pleasure, and learning. This means that creativity can be especially powerful for those experience low mood.

A barrier to creative exploration is the belief that you have to be “good” at it. However it is the process that will be the benefit, not the product. Just like physical exercise strengthens the body, creativity helps train your mind to be more resilient. For example people who regularly engage in creative exercises report fewer intrusive thoughts (Clark & Purdon, 1995) and a more stable mood. It teaches us to slow down and gives us the opportunity to connect with others.

Navigate Your Mind (NYM) offer a range of opportunities for you to enhance your creativity, from 1:1 Therapeutic Art Sessions to 'Sip & Paint' groupwork sessions (last Friday of every month). They also run embroidery workshops and alternative life-skills and education opportunities (e.g., cooking, boxing, etc) from their Hadley Wood studio office within Enfield/Barnet.

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BLOGGER – Isabelle Skaliotis

My name is Isabelle Skaliotis. I am a second-year undergraduate Psychology Student at the University of Liverpool. I am fascinated by how the brain works and gaining an understanding on theoretical concepts. I am keen on constantly finding new opportunities to seek experiences that will help broaden my knowledge on the mind and behaviour.