The Art of Distraction...

Every morning is a struggle.

When I wake up, my first thoughts usually tends to be how is the day going to turn out? Am I going to be productive? Will I have achieved something? My mood can quite often change dramatically from feeling quite content, to hating myself and life. I don’t have much control over the feelings themselves, but I have learnt how to prevent them (most of the time) from occurring by distracting myself.

Anyone of us can experience bouts of ‘low moods’ and it can really take its toll if we let it. Today I am going to write about how being creative can help our mental health and the benefits of distracting oneself.

Firstly, any hobby that you can really get lost into or be 110% focused on is a good thing to have. Some of us use exercise, either by going to a gym, playing a sport on a pitch or even by doing some yoga in our own living rooms. I play a sport myself in which I can release some tension within my own thoughts and receive those beloved endorphins we thrive off when we want to make ourselves feel good. However, nothing gets me to relax more (other than a few bevs mind) than sitting down with some paint brushes and just going with the flow.

Having done some research it has been found by many that doing something creative can soothe peoples’ mental health, anxieties and help build confidence within them. Studies also show that creating art stimulates the release of dopamine which is what we can when we do something pleasurable.

Many of the greatest artists in our time have suffered from mental illnesses or ‘low moods’ and it can be seen in their art pieces that this was the case. Vincent Van Gogh is prime example of an artist who suffered with his mental health.

One of my favourite things about art is that you can literally do anything you like, and it can still be considered as a masterpiece (if you want to be that generous!). Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and although to some people, certain art pieces may look terrible, it is sense of achievement to the artist for finishing the project. A painting is like music or a film, it is there to make us feel and think a certain way, and very much so to let us get lost in that thought process.

Personally, I always find it hard to get into the mode of creativity, but once I am there it’s like the mind won’t stop with ideas and the body just wants to keep on painting. It has been difficult for me in the last year or so to fit in time for being creative due to putting other things in life first, but I can still remember the lift I get from completing something (that I actually like) and being proud of what I have done.

A lot of my earlier art pieces from being at school were very dark and depressive, in which when I think about it now, was very much how I felt at the time. Since then, I have done a number of projects which have reflected my mood but more so my imagination of how I believe certain things to be. Now my approach is to capture the moments I have cherished the most, and to give the viewer the sense of euphoria I felt when I was in that moment.

The key thing here being, is that you want to fully involve yourself in the task at hand, so you subconsciously forget about what was stressing you out, or making you feel so low. If you’re not thinking about the negative things, then only positive thoughts can prosper.

Do not be afraid to express yourself. It can be as easy as just picking yourself up a colouring book and choosing the colours that warm to you, creating an item or even writing a short story or a poem.

Everyone has their own release, and if you haven’t found one yet, I’d highly recommend just picking up a pen or pencil and drawing literally anything. You’ll soon forget why you were ruminating or dwelling on the negative things in your life and instead you’ll feel more relaxed and content with yourself for trying something new.

Art can lead you to self-discovery, lifting your self-esteem, releasing your emotions, and relieving stress.

I hope that whatever is troubling you and those around us passes, and if not, that we are strong enough to seek help when needed and to at least give our creative senses a try by losing ourselves in the world of creativity.

Here are some links to articles about creativity and mental health for further reading if you like...

https://www.rtor.org/2018/07/10/benefits-of-art-therapy/

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/blog/top-tips-looking-after-your-mental-health-creativity

http://www.creativityworks.org.uk/what-we-do/for-mental-health/

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/your-stories/creative-wellbeing/#.XYDaEG5FyM8

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/creative-explorations/201503/creativity-and-mental-illness

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/your-stories/art-and-my-mental-health/#.XYDafm5FyM8