How Art Can Be Used For Self-Care
“Expressive art therapy integrates all of the arts in a safe, non-judgmental setting to facilitate personal growth and healing. To use the arts expressively means going into our inner realms to discover feelings and to express them through visual art, movement, sound, writing or drama. This process fosters release, self-understanding, insight and awakens creativity and trans-personal states of consciousness.”
~ Natalie Rogers
Benefits of Art Therapy:
The arts have an important role in offering help, promoting well-being, and providing a creative space for social and personal connection. The act of creating art reduces cortisol (the “stress” chemical) in our brains, relaxing us. Creating art can serve as a platform to help express visually what we may not be able to verbally. It can help to boost confidence and make us feel more engaged and resilient. Besides these benefits, art engagement also alleviates anxiety, depression, and stress.
Art and the Practice of Self-Care
In our busy lives, it can be challenging to carve out time to practice self-care. One easy way to do it is to start with a simple, no-fuss activity, and 2-3 minutes of your time.
Origami can be a quick and easy activity that you can take with you wherever you go! If you really want to get the most out of your 2-3 minutes- try combining your art-making and a little bit of mindfulness.
One of our employee’s favorite art activities has been the creation of Wishful Butterflies. If you were able to peek inside some of our offices and classrooms, you would find these lovely origami butterflies hanging from windows and decorating walls. We invite you to share in this activity as well!
Here’s what you’ll need: Origami paper or paper cut into a square (thinner paper works better) and a pen or something to write with. The paper we use is a 6” square, but any size will work.
Next, move into a comfortable position (preferably seated at a table or with a flat surface on your lap), take a few deep breaths, and begin reading below.
Wishful Butterflies
Let’s take a moment to self-care and take time to think of ourselves. Life is constantly moving and asking a lot of us. We are going to hit the pause button for just a few moments.
Think of a wish you have. It could be something you want (a career goal, a tangible item, to grow/develop a relationship, to go on a vacation, etc.) or something for yourself (time for personal care, to learn a new interest/hobby, to reconnect with a friend, etc.).
Before following the directions in the image below to fold the butterfly, write the wish you have for yourself on the origami paper. As you fold the butterfly, try to focus on your breathing. See if you can take longer, slower breaths. As you fold, think of ways you can move towards your wish or ways you can achieve it. Life asks so much of us, that we need to be reminded to put ourselves first too. Giving ourselves compassion helps us to refuel- and rejuvenates our energy so that we can do what is required of us. We are important and so is our time!
For example:
My Wish: I wish to give myself the gift of time (write this on the paper).
Ways I can make time for myself: (think to myself as I’m folding…) I can say no to plans, choose to spend reading/watching t.v a half hour before I go to bed, make time to do something I love at least once a week, spend 5 minutes in the morning with a warm beverage, make time to do art for 15 minutes once a week, make time to workout or take a walk, etc.
As you follow the steps in the image below, allow your mind to clear of all worries, only focus on folding, and creating your butterfly. Allow the words you wrote down to disappear into the butterfly with each fold, and trust that your butterfly will take care of your wish for you. Feel free to hang and tape your butterfly so that it is always floating around you, or have it stationary as a reminder to take a few minutes to practice some self-care for yourself.
Image of visual folding instructions found on Pinterest