How Creativity Can Benefit Your Mental Health

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Week, A2G explores how incorporating creativity into your life and learning can help improve your mental wellbeing.

Several studies have concluded that creativity has a positive effect on mental health, and some have even gone so far as to suggest that being creative is a basis for human life. But what effect on the mind does creativity have exactly?

The 'Flow' State

Have you ever been so immersed in a task that you lost track of time? What you probably experienced there is a state of flow, best thought of as being 'in the zone'. Through creative activities, it is possible to become immersed to the extent that a sense of clarity and serenity is achieved.

The flow state is also the reason creativity can work as a distraction tool. By being focused on a singular task, we are more easily able to manage stress, keep our minds occupied and essentially distract ourselves from any mental health challenges we face.

Creativity acts as a form of mindfulness in allowing us to healthily navigate and express our feelings and emotions with some form of creative output. The resulting product of our creativity provides a sense of fulfilment and accomplishment, and boosts happiness as dopamine is released in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that gives us feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation, and in turn will influence us towards similar creative behaviour.

Sharpening the Mind and Managing Emotions

Creative activities encourage more out-of-the-box and unconventional thinking, which helps to develop both sides of the brain. For example, painting can stimulate hand-eye coordination which improves motor skills, while playing a musical instrument can improve memory. We can improve cognitive function and heighten the connectivity between both sides of the brain through participating in a greater range of creative activities.

Both art and music also help to calm brain activity, giving us a feeling of emotional harmony. Creating something new allows us to harness our emotions and express them in a positive and productive way, which as explained above can result in increased happiness and a boost in self-esteem. The improved state of mind helps to increase our awareness, challenge unhelpful thoughts and make clearer decisions.

Being creative is great, but even simply interacting with art can make you feel more focused and inspired.

What are you waiting for? Go get creative!

If you're not sure how, follow us on social media @a2g_creativity and keep a look out for our next blog post, 5 Fun Ways to Get Creative.