Art can be a doorway to healing

So what exactly is the connection between art and health? The term health is not as clear cut as it is often considered to be.

We tend to consider it a simple measure of our physical wellbeing, but it's much more complex than that.

When we consider health as a collective entity and focus on social factors, then we can look to mental health and the impact of both perceived and real stress on the body.

Is it okay to be sad?

When we think about mental health and its connection to art, the first thing that springs to mind is obviously depression.

In reality, all forms of mental illness can have a direct impact on the body, and mental health is a self-evident condition. But we need to examine why we take it so personally when people share their struggles with mental health.

Being sad can be seen as a weakness, while depression is often an overblown cry for help, like asking for help in a depressive episode is very dramatic, out of proportion reaction to a serious problem.

Other examples are panic attacks and irritability.

Making time for art and self-care

Self-care has become something we're all supposed to do.

Whether you call it a "headspace", a "gut check", or simply a "me time", we know that some of the things you do to take care of your physical and mental health matter.

It can help you stay healthy or recover from an illness, to socialise and relax, to feel safe and protected and to just live your life.

Yet art – one of the most important of all human activities – is often not factored in.

There are many ways art helps people. It can help us be creative, it can be calming, it can give us pleasure, it can build community and provide experiences that are fun and pleasurable. But we know of art as works of art or exhibitions. Most art, however, is accessible to all members of society, as it comes from places that a community can visit.

Mental health challenges

For those who feel down on a regular basis, we have a tendency to avoid saying anything about it. Fear of being judged, gossip and a lack of understanding create barriers to reaching out for help.

This is a problem that extends beyond depression – all forms of mental illness can cause us to be self-critical, harming our self-esteem and making it difficult to seek help.

This applies to how we look, how we behave, how we handle situations and our social networks. This makes being aware of one's own mental health challenging, but it is something we can do for our own wellbeing.

Art can help with how we judge ourselves

Fear of judgment also has a negative impact on our ability to communicate our struggles.

Talking about depression and anxiety can be frightening and difficult, yet if we continue to avoid talking about our feelings we are ignoring a huge part of our experience and putting ourselves at risk of another episode.

This can be avoided by seeking out a trained therapist and see if they can recommend you art therapy.

Art therapy is an established form of treatment for depression, anxiety, eating disorders and a range of other mental health conditions.

Its role is to provide an insight into our own experiences and get a better understanding of how to manage our condition. This can be achieved by discussing how we are feeling, but also what we can learn from our situation and what we can do to improve it.

When things are difficult

"Life doesn't have to be perfect for us to enjoy it, it just needs to be interesting." – Elizabeth Gilbert

Most of us experience challenges throughout our lives, and they can be just as challenging as other illnesses and illnesses such as depression and anxiety.

However, it is important that we don't see challenges as something we should just accept or get used to.

They are part of being human and can lead to greater happiness if we know how to cope and adapt. In fact, through overcoming our challenges, we can enjoy more pleasure in our lives.

These challenges can range from our loved ones moving on to start a new life without us, to a job promotion that involves some degree of change in routine.

We may feel disappointed and perhaps even disappointed in ourselves when we're faced with these challenges. However, by understanding what's causing them and asking for help, we can avoid repeating the same patterns.

Life is full of challenges, and so many of us find our own lives to be frustrating and difficult at times. While we cannot control some of these challenges and our feelings, we can always control our response.

If we take positive steps, including developing better coping mechanisms and getting help, we can cope better and enjoy more pleasure in our lives.