Why drawing can reduce stress

We all handle stress differently, and that is what differentiates our tolerance to stress.For instance, sketching a peach helps you feel more involved with the real things helping you become more fully present.Can drawing help reduce my stress?The rhythmic and repetitive motion of drawing helps synchronize hand and eye, body and mind, and can be used to elicit what harvard cardiologist, herbert benson, has identified as the relaxation response.Studies have shown that most people who try art as a form of therapy or stress relief have experienced significant reductions in their cortisol levels when doing so.

You can draw at home to boost your imagination and creativity, be more mindful and grounded, and relieve anxious.In this way, it is very much like a meditative exercise, dr.You learn to see mistakes as lessons and opportunities for improvisation.Drawing or painting can also improve focus because when you are drawing you give your complete attention and focus to that process and you are not easily distracted by your surroundings.Art can also help you feel a little more in control.

Drawing mandalas as a form of art therapy can reduce anxiety, tension and overall stress.And while there was some variation in how much cortisol levels lowered, there was no correlation between past art experiences and lower levels.Many people keep a gratitude journal to catalog what they are grateful for.Research at harvard shows that creative activities such as drawing and painting help to relieve stress, help in communication skills, and stop cognitive decline as you age.Drawing literal or abstract representations of what is stressing you out can help you express emotions that may be difficult to put into words.

The researchers found that 75 percent of the participants' cortisol levels lowered during their 45 minutes of making art.