Art and mental health

The Intersection of art and Health: How Art can help promote Well-being - Mayo Clinic Press Reflecting on this article by Sarah A. Mensik, it helps me put into words, the tools I have developed over the years to deal with life situations, at times not being able to process sever experiences would leave me incapable of articulating the emotional aspects of the day to day.

Nonetheless, the infusion of art in my life continues to be a good way to lay out these experiences and create a body of work reflecting this concept. Practicing engagement with the mind to dispose of or unpack my memorable and traumatic memories, here are some of the creative outputs that I consider some kind of engagement with art.

Dance

For a deep somatic release, emotional regulation, and release of energy, I believe the human body needs a less destructive alternative to staying sedated or medicated to process severe bouts of energy, through my late teens and early 20’s I discovered that this was a good avenue to release trapped energy and found myself being able to meditate after a good twenty-minute dance to a good song or a well-arranged beat and tempo, while the scientific community has made significant improvements in the provision of medicine to the masses, the natural ability for the human body to move to a song, allows a person to feel comfortable and confident well within themselves and rid of themselves of anxiety-ridden thoughts and patterns.

Music and the art of listening

Making or listening to music, allows the brain to process the words, and beats in a song, knowing the vibrational aspect of everything in nature, this aspect of art can help one process or find connections to personal experiences and give a person grace when processing heavy situations such as wars and reminiscing of good times.

Painting

I believe every human being is a creator, if you are an artist irrespective of if you are good at it or not, you are helping another person process, what it is to be alive. Sometimes when I have failed to put things into words, grabbing a paintbrush and using color to express myself has helped me make sense of my environment. Bringing the hidden to life or making tangible an experience or emotion.

Writing and Offloading

Writing as a form of art helps with deleting files from memory, not necessarily to get rid of them for good but to make room for more ideas and create breathing room for other memories to relieve. It also helps us release the attachments to stories that keep playing and rewinding in our minds, especially when it comes to detaching from trauma and anxiety.

These are some of the most important tools that have helped me process, the world around me. Giving reverence to each activity and doing it with a passion might also help one rediscover themselves. Introducing these steps alongside other life tools can define how you choose to show up in life everyday.