How Creativity Can Help Depression
Creative expression as a form of therapy has a lot going for it. First, anyone can do it, whenever and however they like. It’s also cheap, non-invasive and productive. In fact, whether or not you consider yourself to be creative, you can certainly channel your suffering into a helpful learning experience, as long as you keep some important aspects in mind:
- Art therapy can help to define the problem. Visual art, like painting, drawing or sculpting, can help you figure out the root of your problem at any given moment. Some experts describe creating art as taking a snapshot: once you produce an image to express yourself, it’s there for you to revisit whenever you need to compare, remember or explain things in the future. A visible, permanent record is an excellent learning tool.
- Creative therapy as a complementary treatment. Although some people make amazing gains with visual, music, or dance therapy, it’s not a first line treatment for depression. In many, if not most cases, medication and psychotherapy play very important roles in controlling your mood and balancing your brain chemistry to keep depression symptoms at bay. Instead of looking for a replacement, find an art therapy that you enjoy enough to do regularly, and use it as a time to both unwind and explore your symptoms.
- Open minded expression will help the most. Perhaps the most important aspect of art therapy is freedom and acceptance. The point is to express and explore, not perfect: the less you judge yourself, the farther you can go with your art. In fact, you don’t have to share your artwork with anyone else – you can work individually with a therapist, and store your work in your own, private space.
Fear of failure can be difficult to overcome, so don’t pledge to learn and master one specific art. Instead, try painting, dance, acting, woodworking, quilting, photography, or any of the hundreds of accessible art forms out there to find what fits best with your lifestyle and personality.
Believe in Your Creativity
If you find that your imagination is exacerbating your depression, remember that you’re not alone. The key is to focus on creating with your creativity, rather than allowing it to eat away at your emotions. You may struggle through lots of lows and highs, but the better you can appreciate the upswings of your creative work, the better you can face the difficult emotions and dark corners of your depression.
