Art Therapy for Anxiety
Anxiety, in mental health terms, refers to thought and behavioral issues that result from excessive fear and stress.
Fear can best be described as an emotional response to a real or perceived threat, whereas anxiety is the anticipation of a future threat. Most of us live under some level of pressure where stress can help us to prepare for difficult or challenging times. When this happens we regulate the feeling of anxiety through relaxation techniques, hobbies, exercise, entertainment or talking with others.
In health, the feelings of anxiety are short term and, once regulated, we return to our normal day to day routines without any major problems. However in some seasons of life anxiety might become more intense and the source of the disturbance might last longer. When this happens we can sometimes develop unhealthy ways of coping that create short term relief but long term problems. Some of these coping styles might include avoidance behaviors, controlling behaviors, patterns of thinking and feeling, or numbing behaviors.
Because these coping styles offer short term relief, they must be repeated over and over again. The source of our worry becomes the focus of our attention triggering worry thoughts and an anxiety response in the body. Art therapy can be used to help treat anxiety conditions by interrupting the thought patterns and directing our attention away from the “problem” we are ruminating on and placing our attention on a mentally and physically soothing activity that allows our nervous systems to relax. Art therapy also benefits people with anxiety because it is non-verbal and demands that the issue be expressed in a new way which can be helpful for people who are prone to catastrophizing, generalizing, fortune telling and any other unhelpful thinking patterns that contribute to anxiety.
When the way we speak about the problem is interrupted and our focus on the fear is lessened, we can calm our minds and our bodies reducing the feelings of overwhelm and fear. When the fear is manageable new outcomes can be imagined, new solutions can be identified, and new patterns of thinking can be established.
Here is a summary of just some of the benefits of art therapy for helping with anxiety:
Calms the nervous system
Acts as a distraction
Interrupts rumination
Encourages focus on one thing
Increases self-esteem from the act of creating something
Reduces over-stimulation from external sources
Provides tactile stimulation
Venting, releasing stress
Useful when verbal expression is limited
Encourages “play”
Art activities can be undertaken outside of therapy when situations arise
One art therapy tool that is useful for reducing anxiety and increasing the mind-body connection is the body scan. In this exercise, you will need a pencil or pen to draw the outline of a body. You can also use an outline of your hand or your foot if you find drawing a body outline is too intimidating, or print off a basic outline. Before you begin drawing the body outline, take a minute to reflect on the physical feelings in your own body. You can do this by closing your eyes and taking three or four deep breathes. Check in with your physical body and notice any tension, pain, or discomfort.
Once you have a sense of the feeling in the physical body begin to draw and use color or markings to indicate where the discomfort is. Next take either markers or paint and begin to add color to the body to indicate emotional feeling in the body. You can do this anyway that feels accurate to you. It might be helpful to choose markings or colors to represent specific feelings, or the place feelings on the body where you experience them the most strongly. Wait until you are finished to sit with the drawing or painting, to reflect on what your body is trying to tell you about what is going on internally. At this point it may be helpful to write down some thoughts you have as you observe your drawing.
If you think that you might benefit form art therapy or you have struggled with traditional talk therapy and are open to trying a different approach please reach out for more information.
