Creative painting and drawing has a calming and relaxing effect. You don't have to be a talented artist to do this.
Painting by numbers, geometric mandalas or just drawing: painting with colors is almost like meditation and has a relaxing effect. Coloring with colored pencils can help, especially when you are restless and stressed. As you fill in the fields with colors, your thoughts seem to flow after a short time. Anyone who engages in creative activity usually ends up in a kind of parallel world, a kind of “flow”. This can serve as a resource, especially in stressful phases of life.
Painting when you are stressed and restless: being creative helps you relax
About 46 percent of the population resort to small creative “escapes” when they feel stressed or anxious, US researchers have found. As part of the representative survey, they analyzed the answers from 2,202 adults. The result: Those test subjects who described their mental health as good or excellent were more likely to engage in creative leisure activities.
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“Creative activities help us take a step back from the daily grind, engage our brains in a different way and relax,” comments Petros Levounis, president of the
American Psychiatric Association
, which commissioned the survey, to
Psychology Today.
Painting: Even 45 minutes can help against stress
The creative process doesn’t have to be demanding. Anyone who paints, sculpts or creates collages for just three quarters of an hour will already have an effect on their stress - a similar effect can also be achieved by baking. In a short period of time, the level of stress hormones in the blood is significantly reduced, as a study by
Drexel University
in Philadelphia showed. How talented you are or what previous experience you have also doesn't matter when it comes to the stress-reducing effect.
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Success is guaranteed, especially when coloring mandalas or coloring books. After all, there is nothing wrong, because the shape is given and only the choice of color is the focus. Many adults therefore find it easier to switch off while painting. Further evidence of the healing effects of art comes from psychotherapy. Experience with art therapy shows that art, like singing, can have a calming, anxiety-relieving and healing effect, as the scientific magazine
Scinexx
reports.
Painting also affects the brain
Scientists at the University of Erlangen have investigated how an artistic activity such as drawing affects the brain. They found that people look inwards, reports the
AOK
.
According to the researchers, when you paint you sink into yourself and develop a feeling for your inner world and your body. The “artist” is more concerned with himself or herself – and that helps with stress management. Painting makes you more mindful and more in the moment.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Our editorial team is not allowed to answer individual questions about medical conditions.