Both in college and grad school I found myself stressed. Deadlines and pressures got to me often and the main thing that I found to manage the tension was through playing guitar. There is just something about being creative and expressing that soothes and calms.
I find that a lot of folks can be afraid to try de-stressing through creativity because they say they are not "artistic" or "creative".
The thing is, even if you can't draw except stick figures (like me) there are ways you can express yourself creatively. For example, you might try just one of these options:
Journaling and Writing (hint: Don't force yourself to write about your mundane life daily. Instead, save it for times you feel you need to get your tension out.)
Music (Either playing an instrument, singing, or simply listening to relaxing tunes.)
Making a Collage (Look for pics you like and paste them all over a notebook, box, paper...)
Dance (Pretend you are training for Dancing with the Stars. Or simply enjoy the process of movement to music.)
Paint. (Don't worry about it being perfect. Instead, try doing something "abstract".)
Knit/Sew/Cross-Stitch (The repetitive nature of the stitching can be very soothing, while you're expressing yourself!)
What ways are you able to be CREATIVE?
How does this help your stress level?
1 comments:
I very much enjoyed this post. I too find creativity hard to "grab a hold of" in a therapeutic context.
I think this is an important series.
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