Most of us take care of our physical health through regular exercise and a proper diet plan. However, physical health shouldn’t be the only aspect of our life that we should be taking care of. These days, psychological distress and mental health problems seem to be common, especially now that we are living in a pandemic. Taking care of our mental health is very important, too. One way of taking care of it is through art. To celebrate the Mental Health Awareness month, this article will show you the benefits of art to us--mentally and emotionally.

As of 2017, about 10.7% of the population worldwide (roughly 792 million people) suffer from mental health disorders. The most common disorders are depression, anxiety disorders, and bipolar disorder. In the time when this distress is prevalent, possible remedies should be made available. Accordingly, professional help is available worldwide through psychiatric consultation, counseling, therapy, etc. However, some people are quite ambivalent with these “solutions”, so what are the alternatives that can work? Changing your lifestyle.

Usually, the main trigger of depression and stress is boredom. When you’re not doing something, you tend to overthink and sometimes you feel that you’re useless. We all feel that sometimes. One way to diminish boredom is to have pastime hobbies that can relieve stress and anxiety. And what’s one good pastime that is therapeutic according to multiple research studies? PAINTING. 

Art, regardless of its medium-- be it painting or singing, etc. is a very healthy coping mechanism as it leaves room for self-expression. Remember, expressing your emotions and inhibitions is very important and that is why we encourage you to do art, particularly painting. Let’s look at some of the healing powers art can have for you. 

The Top Reasons Why Painting is Therapeutic

    1.  It nourishes your creativity:

It is well known that artistic activities like painting stimulate both sides of your brain. The left side of the brain is responsible for logical and rational choices, while the right side of the brain is responsible for our creativity. In painting, these two are being exercised as we go on through the decision-making process of choosing the colors, brushes, etc. while exercising our creative will every stroke we make, styles and techniques we apply on the canvas, and so forth.

   
    2.  It gives you the opportunity to surround yourself with like-minded               people:

Of course, once you get into painting and other creative activities, you'll inevitably explore the social world of such activities: joining online groups, support groups, or even talking to your friends about your new hobby and trying to engage them in it as well. In this time of pandemic wherein, we’re most likely to be socially distant from a lot of people, even to our loved ones, it is still important to socialize and communicate, even through online platforms. You may also want to try to have a day for painting or art therapy every once in a while with people in your house.

    3.  Painting is a wonderful stress reliever:

Experiencing stress and anxiety is common nowadays. However, excessive feelings of such can exacerbate and turn into mental health concerns. Finding an emotional and creative outlet allows you to release the negative vibes and indulging in such activities can also relax your brain as you focus on the present--brushing and swirling the colors instead of thinking about the past and the future.

   
    4.  It encourages optimism:

Creative activities like painting are very rewarding activities, even if you don’t consider yourself an artist. Thus, it gives an open and free space even to non-artists looking to explore their styles and expand their creativity--promoting an optimistic outlook in life, especially when you get recognition from your friends and family. Such “reward” that you gain from creating aesthetically pleasing artworks inspires you to strive to improve your skills and create more artworks.

    5.  It fosters emotional growth:

We’ve talked about how painting allows you to express your emotions and sentiments in the previous paragraphs. Pouring out your feelings throughout the process of painting is a healthy coping mechanism-- even professional psychologists recommend patients with mental health distress engage in creative activities as a pastime hobby to relax and to cope with painful emotions in a non-destructive way.

Art Therapy with Best Paint by Numbers

Of course, someone has to start somewhere. We know that there are a lot of people who want to start painting but don’t know-how. Here at Best Paint by Numbers, we have a wide array of pre-designed Paint by Numbers kits that can help beginners to start painting with ease-- we made painting easy by giving you a pre-printed canvas of your choice (pre-made or customized). If you haven’t heard about Painting by numbers, it is a painting activity for beginners to help them create beautiful artworks just by following a simple instruction: MATCH THE NUMBER ACCORDING TO ITS CORRESPONDING COLOR. Each of our kits includes:

• A pre-printed canvas marked with contours and numbers
• A 24-piece acrylic paint set with the needed colors 
• Three basic brushes--1 small, 1 medium, 1 large

If you wanna learn more about our kits and see the wide collection of artworks, you may simply click here. We hope you order your kit soon and see the therapeutic benefits of painting. 

Key Takeaways

Art is powerful, so never underestimate the healing powers of art for your mental and emotional health. Painting is a good way to express yourself and this is just one of the non-destructive coping mechanisms that you can indulge in for you to have a better outlook on life. When your mouth can’t speak, try painting and your hands will help you express all those inhibitions. They say that a picture speaks a thousand words, so much more if it’s a painting right? Now that you know the therapeutic benefits of painting today, why don’t you try and go paint with Paint by Numbers?