Art Therapy may provide insights into treating anxiety. Art's unique and powerful ability to evoke emotional responses can help overcome anxiety disorders. 

Art Provides Alternatives to Existing Beliefs

Art is not just a place for relaxation or time away from our day. Instead, it engages with our deepest fears, hopes, dreams and wishes – presenting us with alternatives to existing beliefs and thinking patterns. Art helps us see patterns where others see chaos.

The relaxation and distraction offered by art activities and materials can help alleviate stress, which can help relieve anxiety symptoms. In addition, the wide variety of art forms, creativity and techniques available in the art can present new ways to think about and understand your anxiety. For example, you might create an image of the anxious feelings inside you; see yourself in a calm place where you would prefer to be; then reflect on how seeing your emotions might allow you to approach these feelings in another way. There are many different art forms and techniques you can choose from that can help with anxiety.

Art Therapy Can Help Us Get Unstuck

When trapped in anxiety symptoms, people may feel like they are drowning or going crazy. Art can help us bring visual order to our world and show us new ways of seeing things—showing what we are feeling and thinking.

When we're anxious, we often feel stuck. Art Therapy can help to get us unstuck and enjoying a fuller life. It is an integrative form of therapy that combines psychological, emotional, and aesthetic approaches to reach new insights and explore feelings.

Art Materials Are Matched To The Therapy Goals

The Art Therapists may choose various techniques and have the client work with different materials based on their therapy goals. Art can be used to help manage anxiety and to experience exhilaration as you overcome something significant in your life.

Art Therapy Calms The Nervous System

Art Therapy can provide physiological change by calming the nervous system. Studies show that creating and looking at artwork can reduce blood pressure and heart rate, improve sleep quality and increase activity in the part of the brain associated with reward, which helps relieve stress. Art aids as a distraction, interrupting the dysfunctional cycle of rumination to reduce the anxiety spiral. Art Therapy may provide tools to help manage and overcome anxiety. It can change a person's mindset, helping them understand and control feelings and helping reduce symptoms related to anxiety.

When Verbal Expression Is Hard, Art Therapy Is The Answer

When verbal expression is challenging, Art Therapy can be incredibly beneficial. For example, expressing grief, confusion, anger, or helplessness that is hard to put into words through art may help heal wounds caused by physical illness or psychological trauma. Art Therapy can also treat depression, social phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, and other issues.

Art is a tool we can use to help us make sense of our lives. By using Art Therapy, people may gain insight into how their anxiety is triggered and impacted and how it affects their lives. While anxiety can feel like a never-ending battle, art may be able to help. It can provide a way to organize and make sense of those overwhelming thoughts and feelings.

Art activities can be used in and out of the therapy environment to provide benefits. 

If you're looking for at-home art activity ideas, you may like to join our weekly at-home Art Therapy mailing list.

I curate and send a weekly art activity idea you can do at home to access many of the benefits of Art Therapy at home.

Freestyle Arts provides Art Therapy and Group Art Classes on the Sunshine Coast, Australia.