Get Artsy with Stress

There's nothing quite like scribbling on a piece of paper when you are upset. Taking all your anger or stress and concintrating it on the point of a pen, pencil, or chalk and wiggling until you feel the emotion dissapear. Not only does it feel great, it is an auctual therapy: Art therapy.

Art Therapy encourages people to express and understand emotions through the creative process. Drawing and art can take your mind off what is stressing you - at least for a short while. While you are engrossed in the process, your mind has the chance to clear. Once you are finished, you should have a more focused mind in which to return to your tasks.

Another benefit to art therapy is while engaging in creating art, you are engaged to the point of being in a near meditative state. This results in many of the benefits of meditation and you may feel less stressed when you are done. It is easy to loose yourself in the process of creating something new. Have you ever lost track of time while working on a creative project? This is because our sense of time is tied in with our emotions and memories. As you work on an art project and release the stress, our perception of time increases.

Try these art projects for a catharsis to stress.

1. Cut out magazine pictures & make a collage 2. Draw in total darkness 3. Fingerpaint 4. Play with play-dough 5. Throw paint at a canvas or fill balloons with paint and throw them at plywood

And remember: it is NOT about the final product. You don't have to be Picaso or Michaelangelo to benefit from art therapy. Just on the process of creating will be enough to help you reduce your stress level.