When the world is mostly concerned with sanitation and suppressing the contagion, it’s easy for families to overlook their mental health. After all, who’s got time to talk about their feelings when people are losing their jobs and possibly their lives due to the pandemic?
All the more reason you should make an effort to look after your mental health. As a parent, it’s integral to ensure that your family settles into the new normal as well as they possibly can. If communicating your feelings is difficult for most members of the family (which is understandable given the circumstances) consider resorting to art.
Art is a universal language that can help you develop a stronger bond with each other and improve your overall well-being. Here are three reasons art in the time of pandemic is a good solution:
Science Agrees
I Remember Better When I Paint is a documentary that provides a clear picture of art’s positive cognitive effects. It’s among the many films, books, and other forms of media that support scientific study about the relationship between art and mental health.
While the focus of the documentary is people with dementia, the benefits discussed apply to everyone.
Among those benefits include the ability to reconnect with the world, emotional relief, self-discovery, and a surge in self-esteem. These effects are particularly true for people with mental health concerns like anxiety and depression and physiological disorders like cancer.
Your family members, from toddlers to grandparents, can suffer from a build-up of stress without realizing it. Don’t wait to develop bad coping habits before finding a healthier means to cope with the pandemic.
Art Is Diverse
Art isn’t limited to watercolors and canvases.
Bonding with each other might mean attending the virtual dance lessons offered by a school. You can also sign up for violin lessons if you and your children are more musically inclined.
Dancing is a fun way to remain active during quarantine while learning a new instrument cultivates creativity and even improves your immune system. According to physiologists Mona LisaChandaand Daniel J.Levitin, who studied the effects of music.
Both forms of art expression can lead to other bonding opportunities like attending virtual concerts, arranging a performance for your family, and shopping for music accessories or dance clothes.
This can even make it easier to introspect about the pandemic’s effects, which can lead to a much-needed family conversation on how it affects each one of you.
Everybody Can Be Artistic
Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) art therapist MeganCarletonclaims that the benefits of creating do not depend on a person’s talents or skills. It’s the process that matters, not the product.
When resorting to art to improve your mental health, you must emphasize this point.
Many people who want to try art are held back by fear of judgment or the idea that they have to be”good enough.”Agree with your family that, above all, your artistic endeavors aim to relieve any mental stress you might’ve incurred due to the pandemic.
The point is to have fun, not to excel. If you discover any latent talent along the way, consider it a bonus. Who knows? This might be the year you uncover each other’s artistic genius.
Never Underestimate Mental Health
Mental health isn’t a topic only for those who suffer from conditions like anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder.
Anybody can seek ways to take care of their mental state, especially when they’re overwhelmed by what’s happening around them. When parents take the lead in looking over their family’s mental well-being, they increase the chances of their collective happiness and satisfaction in life.
