Well, it’s been one weird year, that is for darn sure! We don’t know about you, but it has actually been good in a way – getting back to basics and spending quality time together! One thing that resulted from this time is that one of our best buddies, Lori, taught us how to make “yard art.” You may ask, “What is that?” Well, it is the idea of taking old, used, or 2nd hand treasures and putting them together to make beautiful art that you can situate out in your yard or even inside on your coffee table. Add a little glue, some paint, a random trinket – and there you have it – ART!
Studies show that creative activities, such as crafting, can help focus the mind and has even been compared to meditation due to its calming effects on the brain and body. These creative activities, like gardening, sewing, or playing music, release dopamine, a natural anti-depressant. Tapping into our creativity can improve brain function, mental health, and physical health.
Have you ever gotten totally into a project where you forgot about everything else? IE you were in FLOW! Flow reduces anxiety, boosts your mood, and even slows your heart rate. It’s not just being in the flow that helps your happiness. Repetitive activities, such as knitting, drawing, or writing, help activate flow, and are all tasks that create a result as well as flood our brains with dopamine. Engaging in creative activities can have some specific beneficial effects on patients with dementia. Studies have shown that engaging in creative tasks not only reduces depression and isolation but can also help people with dementia glean more of their personalities and sharpen their senses.
Did you know that we have about 60,000 thoughts per day? Engaging in a creative activity can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as help a person process a prior trauma. Writing is an excellent method for helping people constructively manage their negative emotions, and painting or drawing can help people express trauma or experiences – often those that they find difficult to speak about or put into words. One interesting fact is that writing or engaging in a creative activity increases your CD4+ lymphocyte count, the key to your immune system. Listening to music can also rejuvenate function in your immune system. With all that is going on in the world, this would be a good thing for us!
Finally, engaging in something creative makes you smarter! People who play instruments, for instance, have a better balance between their left and right brains. The left brain is responsible for the motor functions, while the right brain focuses on the melody. When these two hemispheres of your brain communicate with each other, your cognitive function improves.
Get those creative juices flowing and enjoy that feel-good dopamine rush by doing things that are genuinely good for us AND make us happy! Start writing, drawing, or coloring. Get your hands in the dirt. Make some yard art. Listen to music or get back to playing the instrument you used to play. Whatever you decide to do, it’s time to start getting creative!
