It needs to be remembered that engaging in arts and crafts can improve mood and cognitive function and enhance overall well-being. Embracing creativity supports mental health and resilience.
Written by Prerna Mittra |Updated : September 23, 2024 4:47 PM IST
Around the world, many people have been facing mental health crises since the Covid-19 pandemic, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc. As such, for a few years now, the focus has heavily shifted to addressing mental and emotional health issues for a global population that continues to struggle with personal and professional lives while assessing their feelings, dealing with stress, and maintaining sound physical health.
Amid all this, doctors have — for a while now — preached that engaging in certain activities that gratify the mind, beyond simply taking care of professional duties, can provide a much-needed respite to the brain. It includes participating in physical activities that take care of fitness and taking up hobbies that can assuage the mind and calm it down regularly.
Science has always backed this theory. Many research papers have covered this aspect of mental health — how taking breaks from the routine by engaging in creative activities (like making music, dancing, painting, writing, etc.) can prevent mental health problems like anxiety, depression, stress-induced health issues, and the like. Creating any form of art is known to reduce the levels of stress hormone cortisol in the body.
Now, a new study done by one Dr Helen Keyes, cognitive psychologist and head of the school of psychology and sport science at Anglia Ruskin University, and her team has found that engaging with arts and crafts, and other such creative activities, can boost the well-being of the mind by allowing a person to express themselves in a meaningful manner.
The psychologist reportedly said that arts and crafts are ‘accessible and affordable’. In fact, one can consider taking up knitting and drawing, which do not require very many tools. At the same time, they are engaging and creatively fulfilling, too. According to a CNN report, while studies done in the past have already proven that creating art can be therapeutic — especially for people with mental health conditions — the general population has largely been understudied. This new research was published in Frontiers in Public Health recently, for which researchers looked at people who do not have any diagnosed illnesses. The key was to find out how arts and crafts can contribute to mental and emotional well-being, enabling a person to feel less lonely in their everyday life.
The team of researchers looked at the data between 2019 and 2020 from a survey in the UK. Of the 7,182 participants, more than 37 per cent confirmed that they had taken up ‘at least one craft activity’ over the last year, the CNN report stated.
While arts and crafts were not found to be associated with decreased anxiety or loneliness, respondents did correlate participating in creative activities to feelings of life satisfaction and a general sense of happiness.
Arts And Crafts And Mental Health
Arts and crafts can have a profound connection with mental health, offering numerous benefits, such as:
- Stress relief: Creative expression that calms the mind.
- Self-expression: Artistic creation that fosters identity.
- Mindfulness: Focus on craft promotes being in the present moment.
- Emotional release: Art-making processes emotions better.
- Confidence boost: Completing projects can enhance self-esteem.
- Therapeutic outlet: One can process their trauma through art.
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