One of My Favorite Things

 

One of my favorite things to do is play with photos in Photoshop! I can spend hours manipulating an image with filters, effects, and various croppings. I find the entire process quite relaxing as well as creative. I typically don't start with any outcome in mind, I just play and see what happens. I loose myself in creativity and can feel any stress I have melt away. 

As most people are aware of, stress is quickly being accepted as the leading cause of all sorts of ailments. "How to relieve stress" is one of the latest hot topics. There are seven main events that cause stress in people's lives: 

•        Catastrophes like natural disasters, fires, or accidents.
•        Stressors that recur over and over like deadlines or economic obligations.
•        Major life changes like death, marriage, or divorce.
•       Problems that disrupt the normal processes of daily life like illness, having to care for an aging parent, or family emergencies.   
•        Job burnout from working in a high stress job or a highly demanding job.
•       Problems that cause aggravation like having to drive in heavy or congested traffic, poor air quality, or having to shop in a crowded store.

•        Problems that put a person in a position of having to choose between two or more options that is unpleasant. (Huffman 99) 

The creative process of art is an excellent way to reduce or even eliminate stress in your life. As your mind becomes more focused on making art, it lets go of stress producing thoughts. And yes, your thoughts are the source of the majority of stress you experience. Your mind and body become synchronized in the moment as your hands manipulate the medium and your mind waits to see the result. This "in the moment" experience is the key to reducing stress; as you are in the moment of making art, you are not in the moment of whatever is causing stress in your life. In addition, being in the moment is where you will find healing. 

To use art for reducing stress, just pick a medium that you find interesting and acquire the materials. Materials can be as simple as a box of crayons and a piece of paper. (I highly recommend the crayons that have a sharpener in the box!) Select a time you can play with your art materials and go for it! It doesn't matter how skilled you are. The final result is not the goal here, the process is. So let yourself have fun and express whatever wants to come out of you. Get lost in the moment and give yourself permission to let go of any worries you may be holding onto. Just "be" in the moment.

Huffman Karen. Psychology in Action, Eighth Edition.  Palomar College: John Wiley and Sons,      2007.