We all know that art is pleasing to look at and can be thought provoking, but did you know that art also has a tremendous ability to relieve stress and anxiety.
There have been numerous scientific studies done on the effect of art and creating art and how it can reduce stress and anxiety in people. However, you don't have to just create art to reap the benefits of its healing properties. Simply surrounding yourself with art and looking at it is also incredibly soothing for mental health.
Art is meant to make us think and make our brains work. It can also mimic feelings of falling in love, which we all know is a wonderful feeling that raises our spirits.
Here are a few tips to assist you in using art to reduce your stress and anxiety levels:
Select favorite pieces of art and place them strategically around your home - choose places that are prominent around your home and place pieces of art that inspire feelings of joy and happiness for you and hang them so that there are works of art that bring you joy and peace throughout as much of your home as possible
Get small prints or postcards of art that you enjoy and put them on your desk at work. This way, even when you are at work, a place where stress might rear its ugly head, you have your favorite soothing pieces of art surrounding you.
Download your favorite art as a screensaver for your mobile device or tablet. Now, every time you look at your screen, you can feel that soothing and anxiety reducing presence of your favorite art
Some artwork has even been used on household items such as comforters, plates, rugs and more, even if it isn't a replica of your favorite piece of art, the colors and shapes might be the same and it should be enough to remind your brain of the feeling you have when looking at your favorite art work and replicate those soothing feelings that help to relieve your stress and anxiety.
Go to local art galleries and museums to see exhibits and widen your arsenal of soothing art works. Even if you live in a rural area or somewhere that doesn't have a lot of galleries or museums, you can go to a library and look at art books or hop online and search for works of art that will lower your stress and anxiety.