Introduction
The academic process is usually very demanding and appalling for students. Many students suffer mental health problems due to the successive pressure on them due to the curriculum. Students have also adopted various coping mechanisms to help counteract the pressure’s effects. Sometimes, the coping mechanisms may also be uninteresting to the student. Once the exhilaration of the methods dies down, students return to the drawing board to search for other long-lasting mechanisms.
Art compasses various activities that act as effective stress relievers, assisting students and burying their frustrations. Art makes time to move like the wind, each breath into it removing all stress bottled within the students. This article explains art therapy for students, how it relieves stress, and art therapy tips.
What is art therapy?
Art therapy is a mental health treatment that invokes the individual’s creativity and allows the patient to process their emotions and channel them into art. Art therapy acts as a stress reliever since it allows the patients to interpret their thoughts and emotions and use art to solve their problems. Students do not have to be artistic or creative to benefit from art therapy since it presents a forum that allows them to project their frustrations and strategize methods to deal with their problems. Art therapy allows students to relax and take a break from their norm. It also motivates them to tap and explore their creativity. In some cases, art therapy may develop hobbies for students, hence extending their skill set.
How does art relieve stress?
Art has been medically proven to relieve stress, especially for people with mental health issues. Art can relieve stress in the following ways:
1. Offering a release.
Life is full of hills and valleys and can throw you off balance at any minute. Students particularly struggle with managing their academic pressures. Considering the number of subjects students pursue while in school, it is almost unavoidable for them to get overwhelmed.
Art therapy equips students with a forum that allows them to release their problems and frustrations. The bottled-up tension and anxiety that causes procrastination and fear of failure can be channeled into art. Therefore, art allows students to let go of their past traumas and negative feelings, an attitude that ulteriorly affects their academics.
2. Building self-confidence.
Art therapy may allow one to build their self-confidence. Art therapy is very flexible, and students may choose from various options they are best inclined to. The therapy does not require any special skills, and it allows its participants to experiment and try out various art types freely.
Participation in art therapy brings feelings of achievement and inclusivity. Art therapists may motivate students to maintain their skills through encouragement and affirmations. The positive environment makes students feel accepted and recognized, thus boosting their confidence. Creating an art piece may also bring the feeling of pride in oneself for participation and accomplishment.
3. Clearing the head.
One of the key reasons for heightened stress levels, especially among students, is cumulative thoughts. Students have a lot of activities and roles on their plate, and their brain activity is always at an all-time high. The depreciation of breaks and relaxation activities may cause students to have too many thoughts, further invoking poor mental health. However, writing services like ThePensters can help with physics homework, thus assisting in clearing your thoughts.
Art therapy allows students to clear their heads and concentrate on their art. The process shifts their thought process from negative feelings experienced in classrooms to the creation of art.
Art stress relief tips for students.
Students can share the pie through art by engaging in different art forms. Art therapy encompasses a wide range of activities that can be useful to students. They include:
1. Painting
Drawing and painting are the most common forms of art. Under the right tutoring, drawings and paintings can communicate many emotions and feelings through the engulfing spell of a pencil or brush.
These art forms have been a focus for generations, with various art pieces from various times being displayed in museums. However, as the years go by, the freedom to use paintings to display emotions is granted. Through colors, students can describe their emotions and create a unique representation of their encounters. Under the swift sway of the brush, students can learn to relax and materialize their feelings into beautiful paintings.
2. Doodling
Doodling is one of the easiest art forms students can do effortlessly without requiring too much. Students can transverse themselves into the artistic world and create doodles with a clean page and a pen. The beauty of doodling is how simple and undemanding the art is. Students can start doodling simple elements such as flowers, hearts, and faces.
Random doodles create amazing art pieces and help students overcome their nervousness. Doodling can also aid in reducing perfectionism, which causes imposter syndrome and procrastination.
3. Music therapy
Singing in the shower has been proven to be a mood booster in the morning for most people. This is because of the power of music and its ability to offload stress. Music and rhythm have a way of cooling the heart and downing emotions. Musical instruments can also allow students to concentrate on the sweet melodies and effectively find themselves forgetting about their problems. Music therapy is crucial for people with mental health issues and assists students in improving their quality of life by creating mindfulness, self-awareness, and well-being.
4. Dance therapy
Dance therapy and music go hand in hand. Dancing improves the coordination of bodily functions by collectively involving the emotional, physical, psychological, and social aspects. Dance therapy promotes a relaxation of the muscles, thus reducing tension experienced by students. Through interacting with other people, dance therapy improves psychological outlooks and behaviors. It distracts from academic activities and is an effective art therapy for college students.
5. Sculpting
Sculpting is a powerful form of art that allows an individual to construct and shape their environment. Students can learn self-expression of their emotions using clay, stone, wood, paper mache, or paper clay and help improve focus and mood. It also assists students in refining their cognitive ability and helps reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.
6. Writing
Writing is indisputably one of the most effective stress relievers. Jotting down your feelings allows people to down all their emotions and aggressiveness. This allows students to refine their self-expression abilities o self-expression, and learn non-aggressive methods of dealing with negative emotions.
Students write through their emotions, improving their self-awareness and gaining meaningful insights and perspectives. Journaling is a self-care technique that is equally therapeutic and allows students to spend more time with themselves and, therefore, discover more about themselves.
7. Photography
Improved technology has allowed most people to take up photography as art therapy. Mobile phones have improved camera features that may allow people to opt for photography as a stress reliever. Integrating photography in breaks can allow students to take nature walks as they try to catch remarkable photos of sunsets and sunrises. Photography also allows students to document their lives and create memories they will one day look back and be proud of. Digital manipulation of the photos helps to improve the photos’ quality. Photography is an effective art therapy that allows students to gain skills and improves confidence and feelings of accomplishment.
Conclusion
Academics are highly demanding and taxing for students, and there is a high need for stress relief methods. Art therapy for students can be done in a variety of ways. Following the listed tips, students can reduce pent-up stress and energy towards their academics and channel them into other things.
