More often than not, people dealing with psychological disorders, disabilities, or traumas go for psychotherapy or counseling. These means have been proven helpful for a lot of people. A thing mostly overlooked is art therapy. Art therapy is the use of artistic methods to improve one's mental health or to treat psychological disorders. This method helps people of all ages on a journey to what could be called an introspection; it lets one explore not only their emotions but also help develop social skills and self-awareness, fight stress, and boost self-esteem. While it's suggested that you do it with a licensed art therapist, you can still do it on your own. No, you don't need to have a talent in art, instead, you need an open heart and mind, and a place where you can meditate and do your art. Here are a few ideas you can do.
Appropriate an artist
A blank piece of paper or canvas can be quite intimidating. The way we see it, it shouldn't get in the way of an opportunity to create art. Take a classic or modern work and add your own spin to it; doodle on top of it, collage it with other paintings, or casually distort it digitally.
Create a mood doodle chain
A piece of paper goes a long way when it comes to doodling. You don't have to fill a page in one go but you can start a doodle chain and draw a doodle representing your mood for the day.
Collage your feelings
There can more than just an image to represent how you feel and this makes a collage a handy tool in expressing it. Scan an old magazine or newspaper for some images or words that you believe will encapsulate what you feel no matter how positive or negative it is.
Watercolor and let it flow
Sometimes, it feels good to just let things flow. Put this into life by taking a piece of watercolor paper and watercolor palette then let the colors drip anyway they want. Let the colors merge on their own and reflect how you feel after seeing the byproduct of it.
Create your own postcard
The book series Griffin and Sabine is one a good inspiration for this one; create a few postcards you may or may want to intend to anyone. Express how you feel through the card without writing a single word at the back of it. You'll be surprised how raw feelings inspire a great deal of creativity in you.
Redecorate a room
There are days that we stare at a room and decide, "I want to change things up a bit." Make those plans come to life and change your sheets and pillowcases, replace some old flowers on the vase or switch up the paintings on your walls. Redecorate your room to give it a fresh and clean aesthetic you would love to have some R&R at.
Embellish an item
Upcycling an item can be more therapeutic than you think. Create a box of happy memories or a box of things you'd like to keep but embellish it for a more personal touch. You can also change the way a regular household item look with just a few details to add.