In honor of mental health awareness week, I want to share with you about my journey through using art as a coping mechanism.
What is Art?
Art is a creative expression that comes in many forms such as literature, painting, sculpting, performance, music, cooking or dance.
Like many artists, expressionism is our medicine- for years this has been the same for me without realizing it.
From writing, performance arts, painting and modeling-for-causes, art has been a way for me to improve self care.
Anxiety
Over forty million Americans are suffering from anxiety disorders and it is one of the most common mental disorders. As an artist, I realized that when you are focused on coloring, the rush of intrusive thoughts start to dissipate. Every stroke of the paint brush or contemplating what color you`ll use next replaces those thoughts.
Art can be a replacement for former addicts that were drug dependent. For many studies there have been scholarly conversations about how art can be an escape to heal veterans, minorities, chronic illness patients etc. Foundations like The Foundation of Art and Healing dedicate their time with art workshops and projects for art as a medicine.
The question is “ Will art ever be considered as a medicine in general practice?
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