Most of us deal with stress at various times in our lives. Currently, while our world still struggles against the COVID-19 pandemic, that stress and anxiety is heightened in many people. However, research shows that creativity may be an important key to reducing stress and anxiety and living longer, healthier lives.
The Science of Creativity
In a recent study carried out by the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, researchers gave healthy adults some basic art supplies to use for 45 minutes. The study found that 75% of the participants experienced a drop in their cortisol level, which is the hormone the body secretes in response to stress.
A study done by Johns Hopkins on jazz musicians found that as the musicians improvised, the frontal area of the brain used for deliberation, self-monitoring, or test-taking decreased in activity. This suggests the “turning off” of more conscious thought, freeing more experiential and emotional parts of the brain to express themselves.
Another study followed 1,000 elderly men over nearly 20 years and found that the more creative men lived longer, healthier lives.
Reducing Your Stress Levels
All this science just demonstrates what we counselors have known all along – that focusing on a creative pursuit helps the mind to slow down, be in the present moment, be diverted from that which is causing stress or anxiety, and ultimately, feel more peaceful.
Creativity engages the imagination, which frees us of the taskmaster of the prefrontal cortex – as the jazz musicians taught us – while still providing enough framework for being constructive and productive. When you’re really, deeply focused on your task, you can reach a state called “flow,” technically defined as an “optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best.” When you’re in this state, you may lose track of time, not notice anything else that’s going on, and “forget yourself.”
The wonderful thing about creative pursuits is that they release massive amounts of pleasure-inducing, performance-inducing chemicals in the brain: dopamine, endorphins, serotonin, and more. All these help to improve our mood, thus decreasing stress and anxiety. These “happy hormones” really flood the system when you reach the state of flow and often last for days afterward.
The key to applying the benefits of creativity to your life is to determine what you actually like to do that can distract you from your stressors and give you the opportunity to escape into a world of creation and expression. Any creative endeavor will do, really. Try a couple of things and find what works best for you.
If the idea of a blank piece of paper and crayons causes you to panic because you “don’t know what to draw,” try adult coloring books. They are a great springboard for releasing your inner artist. Perhaps you have musical skills. Have you ever tried composing? What about creative writing? Maybe try poetry or short stories. Creative cooking, creative dance, photography – there are many avenues you can try.
Remember, the goal is to find a creative pursuit that takes your mind off what is causing you anxiety and onto the creation of something new and beautiful. Find what moves you, what lifts your spirits, and dive in.