Art To Deal With Difficult Emotions
What is an emotion and what do we do with it? Emotions are our response to the meaning we make of our environment. They are a blend of actions that happen, our perceptions, and physical responses in our body. We all have positive and negative emotions every day.
While our feelings are not always 100% facts, they are 100% important to pay attention to! Sometimes we have thoughts that are simply not facts like, “Everyone is going to notice this pimple on my face and I don’t want to go out in public because of it”. That statement is not true, most people won’t even notice the pimple.
However, the feeling of embarrassment based on physical appearance is something to pay attention to. We need to put up that stop sign in our minds and ask ourselves, “Where did I learn to feel embarrassed about a pimple on my face?” and ”Whose standard of beauty am I attempting to withhold?” and “Am I going to choose to believe that my thoughts are facts?”
Beyond taking a mindful minute to ask ourselves these question, what else can we do deal with the difficult emotions ones as they come up? ART!
Sometimes we just need to feel the feelings. Dance with them, Run with them, or Paint with them. I think of art as an exploration of emotions. Someone told me Emotions = Energy in Motion.
Just because we’re experiencing a negative emotion it doesn’t mean we have to be consumed by it or even try to quickly push past it. In fact emotions can be wonderful teachers and motivators.
For me, it has taken several years to learn to lean into the difficult emotions and not try to push them away. Now I take them into my art which is really helpful. Sometimes my sadness, anxiety, or anger results in really crappy paintings that literally end up in the garbage. Other times they result in beautiful pieces that I end up sharing with others. Regardless of the outcome, picking up my paints and simply creating transports my mind to a different and healthy space.
Sometimes art helps me put things out there that cannot be expressed in words. Art can help externalize what is happening internally. Research shows that creating art improves health and wellbeing by activating reward pathways in our brain that reduces stress, lowers anxiety, and increases focus/attention.
Couldn’t we all use more of this?! It’s no wonder why adult coloring books and “sip and paint” events have become so popular over the years. So if you’re having a difficult day or moment I encourage you to pick up that paintbrush or colored pencils or your kid’s crayons and put them to paper. You might be surprised at what comes out.
Perhaps one of my art pieces speaks to you and whatever emotion you are dealing with right now. Snag your copy so it can remind you that we all experience the icky feelings and you are so much more than just your emotions!
Xoxo,
Meghan
