Creativity is calming,
says Jonathan Alpert, a psycotherapist who regularly treats anxiety. He says artistic time-outs such as painting a mural, assembling a model or even dooding on a sketch pad actually can help work through stressful situations. "And pride in creative efforts boosts self-esteem. High self-esteem makes us better problem solvers and better decision makers. We gain the confidence we need to be more resilient. And a resilient person handles stress better."
Creativity helps work through problems,
says Carl G. Arimoldo, Ph.D. "As human beings, we cannot think of something positive and something negative at exactly the same time." He explains that, "Finding an enjoyable activity to focus on serves as a mini mental vacation from the stress-provoking issue. When we then turn attention back to the stressor, we have more positive associations and our minds will be more relaxed and open to working through the problem."
What are the calming, problem-solving arts you are focusing on this month?