Art And Music: You Should Seek Out Artistic Ways To Destress

If you ever attend a seminar or take a class on how to survive in college, chances are they mention how to improve and maintain your mental health. While the majority of people will mention things like eating well, exercising and keeping a consistent sleep schedule, I, alongside many experts, would suggest considering music, art or other similar hobbies to help relieve stress.

Everyone experiences stress in their life because worry and fear is a core part of our identity as human beings and at times, it can be a good motivator. However, everybody experiences stress differently. For some people, it can be something as easy as being assigned a manifold of assignments in one day or something as complex as a family member getting cancer.

I have seen as a college student myself how stress and anxiety can end up ruling one’s life, leading to both pain and depression if not handled properly.  In dealing with these difficulties, creative hobbies hold the key. These include things like playing instruments, painting, drawing and even dancing.

“In study after study, researchers have calculated the dose-response benefits of ordinary hobbies, habits, and lifestyle practices that are available to almost anyone, almost anywhere, without any trip to a doctor or a drugstore,” Mad in America commented earlier this month.

These artistic activities allow people to express themselves in a way that other methods do not since they can provide an outlet for more personal expression. Many agree that these can also be used as a sort of therapy to confront emotional and sensitive topics. This is similar to how therapists will use simple pictures and questions to find the nature of struggles with stress and anxiety.

Claricode says, “The arts are used to successfully aid people of all ages with conditions that may include depression, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, pediatric trauma, autism, and even heart disease.”

Many will have an issue with the suggestion of creative activities, saying they aren’t very creative or talented in any of the things listed above. 

“It’s important to remember that you do not have to have any artistic or musical skills to benefit from these forms of therapy,” Canadian Breast Cancer Network reported. “Simply the act of participating and allowing yourself to express your inner thoughts in an alternative way can benefit you more than you know.”

The question then remains: Should this be the first thing to turn to when we struggle with stress? Professionals will tell you that it is an option, but for severe anxiety, seek professional help. The first and greatest place anyone facing stress can turn is to God and his holy Word.

The biblical passage 1 Peter 5:6-7 reads, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

With all that said, music and art can be a critical tool for someone struggling with stress, and I think that they would make even more of an impact in battling for resilient mental health if the focus was on Christ. Keeping in mind that everyone experiences anxiety at some point, He is the true source for refuge from the toils of life that we should never overlook.

Marks  is an opinion writer.