Art and Anxiety

Do you struggle with anxiety? Does it come at you like a whirlwind of overwhelm? I feel ya. Sometimes it's a buildup of pressure, and sometimes it's a tornado whipping through. What I've realized over many, many years of safety-related anxiety (such as travel anxiety) and sleep-related anxiety, is that once I let it fully into my body, it takes longer to get out. So, if I catch it in time, I can do some form of creative expression, like art, to release it. I don't want it stuck inside, so I need to process it out.

This usually works well when I have art supplies on hand AND remember to use them, but when I don't, I forget that I have that outlet. For example, last Saturday night, we camped in our trailer. But there was a loud music concert going on very closeby since 11am. I was tired at 9pm and wanted to go to sleep, but I read that the concert would go on until 11pm. So I listened to meditations for 2 hrs in my bed. However, when the music ended, I couldn't fall asleep. I began to fidget for about an hour. I realized that I had been stuffing down the dissatisfaction about the lack of quiet during those 2 hours. It created enough anxiety during that time that I found it hard to release it. The meditations didn't help. And I didn't even think to use my art journal right next to my bed!

So, in the future, I will keep the light on and deliberately do art and get lost in the time. In that way, I won't be thinking about the music. I can relax and avoid letting the grumpy feeling of not having silence get to me. It's the reactive thought and feeling that tends to cause the anxiety. I can't fault myself. I'm sensitive to noises, and they sometimes cannot be controlled. The key is to let go of a controlling mindset and instead get immersed in something that occupies your mind in a creative or entertaining way. If you'd like 1:1 help doing this, please contact me. I offer 1:1 therapeutic art for anxiety sessions.