When struggling with an illness or physical or mental trauma, one of the best alternatives for recovery is crafting. Crafting can provide a powerful and therapeutic benefit to anyone recovering from an illness or life trauma. This form of therapy provides an opportunity for individuals to engage in a creative and mentally healing activity, while also allowing the person to express themselves emotionally in a productive and helpful way.

The benefits of crafting for recovery are many. The simple act of creating a craft can help relieve stress, spark creativity, and provide a much-needed outlet for those who are feeling overwhelmed, isolated, or depressed. Crafting provides an outlet for those who are healing from an illness or trauma, allowing them to express themselves in a productive manner. For those recovering from physical trauma, crafting can also provide an opportunity to strengthen the body and mind, as many types of crafting involve physical movements such as knitting and crocheting.

Quite often, when individuals are recovering from a traumatic experience they can find it hard to express emotions, as they may be feeling a range of feelings such as fear, guilt, and experiencing survivor’s guilt. Crafting can be a great way of allowing them to express these feelings in a productive and creative way, allowing them to process and work through their feelings in the safety of their own space.

Another benefit of crafting for recovery is that it can be done alone, or with help from a support group. If crafting alone, the person has the freedom to create what they want and to explore their emotions, in a safe and low-pressure environment. If participating in a support group, individuals can form relationships with other people who are also healing from traumas, thus providing an outlet for owning their story, and understanding how others are coping with similar experiences.

The healing power of crafting can be experienced in many forms. One of the most common forms of craft therapy is knitting or crocheting, providing an outlet for individuals to create something tangible out of yarn, thread, or fabric. The physical movements associated with knitting and crocheting can provide a form of physical therapy for someone recovering from physical trauma. When learning how to knit or crochet, the patient can find solace in the repetition of the motions, and can create a meaningful and useful item out of the craft.

Also, painting and drawing are popular forms of craft therapy. Painting and drawing can be used as an emotional outlet, and it can be used as a way of revisiting pain and traumatic experiences visualizing the emotions connected with it. The physical act of painting and drawing can be calming and therapeutic, giving the patient an opportunity to express deep and sometimes intense feelings.

Other creative outlets such as woodworking, sewing, jewelry-making, and scrapbooking, can also provide meaningful and therapeutic opportunities for individuals recovering from illnesses and traumas. Crafting provides a safe and constructive way to express emotions, build strength, and process information in a therapeutic way.

Whether you or someone you love is going through a difficult time due to illness or trauma, crafting can be a healing way to express thoughts and emotions, process information, and move forward with newfound strength. It is an incredibly valuable form of therapy that should never be underestimated and can make a huge difference for those who are struggling to heal.

Art therapy is a therapeutic approach that helps people to use their self-expression and creativity to improve their mental, physical, and emotional health.

It is interesting to note that for many years, people have leveraged the power of art to help themselves communicate, and heal. And art therapy became formally recognized as a therapy program in the 1940s.

With art therapy, patients can use the creative process to find self-expression and develop new ways that will help them learn new coping skills to manage their mental health symptoms.

While the patient appreciates or creates art, they will healthily explore their emotions, manage stress, improve their self-esteem, and learn more social skills.

Some of the techniques that are proven to be effective in art therapy are painting, collage, coloring, sculpting, drawing, doodling, scribbling, etc. When it comes to art therapy, one of the common misconceptions is that you have to be artistic or you need to have some special talents.

However, if you want to participate in art therapy, you don’t need to have any artistic ability. Everyone can benefit from it irrespective of their skill sets or abilities.

What makes it more interesting is that art therapy can be effective for everyone ranging from both old to young. Another misconception is that art therapy is the same as an art class.

An art class focuses on teaching students techniques that will help them arrive at a finished product. While art therapy helps patients focus on their experience by exploring their imagination, perception, and feelings.

Art therapy can take place in the following places: Art studios, group homes, hospitals, residential treatment centers, wellness centers, correctional facilities, colleges, universities, etc.

If you think that art therapy would be effective for you or someone you know, consider seeing a trained professional. If someone is qualified in art therapy, they should have a verifiable degree in psychotherapy, and they should be licensed with the required therapy body.

You should also find out about their specialty because some art therapists may have experience working with clients who suffered from substance abuse.   

Many people use art therapy to cope with stress and overcome unhappiness or other feelings. They find ways to use art to creatively express themselves in ways that liberate them of all stress. Thus, art can be therapeutic and help people relax in times of stress and negative emotions.

But art is a very broad concept, so what exactly will you be doing during art therapy. This article will discuss some activities you can engage in during art therapy. Some of these are closely related, while others are different.

So, for activities to do during art therapy, here are a few suggestions.

• Draw Your Emotions

One activity used in art therapy to manage negative feelings is to draw your emotions. People are given a pencil or pen and a plain sheet and directed to draw their current emotions. This helps visual emotions and ultimately deal with them by seeing them for what they truly are, pictures in your mind.

• Sculpt Your Feelings

People can also draw their feelings as an exercise during art therapy. This activity also helps to visualize emotions and deal with them. It also gives a sense of accomplishment after sculpting.

• Finger-Painting

It does sound childish, but finger-painting is an activity used in art therapy to relax a person. The messy nature of the paint in your fingers and the burst of colours relaxes a person and reduce tension or anxiety.

• Take Photographs

Art therapy also makes use of photography to promote relaxation and happiness in people. Here, an instructor can ask people to take pictures of whatever they consider beautiful. After which they print it and frame it, to constantly remind them about the beautiful things in life.

• Paint in the Dark

Painting in the dark ensures that you do not judge your art while you are still working on it. It also gives you the freedom to express yourself as much as you like since you can’t see what you are painting. It brings fun and relaxation.

• Craft

You can also ask people to imagine where they want to be in the next few years. Then, ask them to create a handmade craft that represents that image. It engages one’s mind positively and promotes positive imagination.

In summary, art therapy is a broad field that can occur in many ways. But these aforementioned activities people can engage in during art therapy. These activities help people relax, de-stress, and embrace life.

Art therapy is simply the use of creative means to treat mental disorders and psychological stress. Here, artistic means are utilized to ensure the patient overcomes his/her mental disorder. It is birthed from the belief that art can be therapeutic to mentally disorderly patients.

Art therapy involves different aspects of art including drawing, painting, crafting, and even sculpting. The essence is to allow the patients to fully express themselves through art in a therapeutic manner. There are various benefits to art therapy, but there are also some key features it entails.

Therefore, we will discuss some features that occur in art therapy. These features include;

• It Helps to Relief Stress

Stress is a major factor in mental disorders or addiction and the inability to manage stress is typical of a mentally unstable person. Thus, art therapy aims to help people cope effectively by creatively expressing themselves. Art such as drawing or painting can a relaxing exercise under proper settings.

So, one feature of art therapy is to create a means of coping with stress for patients.

• Not Restricted to One Activity

Often, other forms of therapy might be restricted to some specific activities; but art therapy isn’t. It allows the recovery person full expression of his/her feelings or emotions through art. It could be through drawing, sculpting, painting, photography, etc.

The aim is to ensure the person is allowed to express him/herself in the most creative way possible based on his/her preference.

• Not Limited to One Location

Art is very expressive and can occur in different settings. So, with art therapy, you are limited to having activities only within a facility. It can be at home, outdoor, indoor, almost any way that allows the creative expression of the recovering patient.

• It Helps Create a Sense of Hope

Getting addiction to drugs or alcohol and accepting such addiction weighs a lot on self-confidence. Even in the process of recovery patients could still have feelings of self-doubt about achieving anything meaningful in life. But watching art come to life as their paint or simply the burst of colours can give renewed hope that there is still more to do in life.

Therefore, art therapy is vital for relieving stress and giving hope and a new perspective to recovering patients. It features drawing activities, painting, photography, etc. All to encourage and help the patient on his/her road to recovery, giving them something fun to always anticipate.

One of the most proficient forms of therapy treatment is art therapy and people have not come to understand and harness its full potential. The process of art therapy is a simple one which has great potentials.

Clients are guided by an instructor who also doubles as a therapist, to take part in any chosen art process for the purpose of expressing themselves.

Now, art therapy helps people to resolve emotional conflicts within themselves. It also assists them to manage their behaviors and control the way they behave.

With art therapy, it is one profound way to improve your social skills and orientation about the realities of life. If anxiety or depression is in place, art therapy helps to bring them to the barest minimum.

Prequel to art therapy, processes like detoxification can occur if the individual is addicted to substances like drugs or alcohol.

If it is behavioral addiction, then the individual would go straight to therapy from the counselor’s desk. Art therapy is an enjoyable ride because it takes the mind of the individual off the arduous process of treatment.

So, art therapy can be used in both the inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programs. So, it is something you can attend from home, office or the comfort of your location.

The end-result is still the same. Hence, it is safe to say that art therapy forms the core of a tailored rehabilitation pattern.

During the process of art therapy, you are availed the chance of knowing more about yourself. Furthermore, you are aided to know about the root cause of your addiction problem and mental health condition.

Hence, in the future, you will be able to prevent any possibility of encountering either an addiction or mental health problem.

Everyone who passes through the process of art therapy has a certain project to complete. And when it is completed, there is a feeling of satisfaction that comes with it. You will be relieving yourself of stress and also reducing the chances of depression and anxiety.

In the treatment of addiction and mental health problems, one of the profound forms of treatment is arts therapy. It is simply the use of art processes by addicted individuals or those who are found to have certain problems like anxiety, depression and the likes.

There is a false impression that people have about arts therapy and it is, there is a compulsory need for you to have an arts skill so that you will flow properly during the treatment phase. This is not needed, as anyone can take part in arts therapy, skilled or not.

What people need to understand is, the major purpose of art therapy is to visualize or demonstrate their bottled up feelings and emotions without having to speak. So, you can be unskilled in the arts and still take part in art therapy with a view to getting better from addiction and mental health problems.

There are some people who have gone through really difficult times because of their addiction and mental health problems. And one way to help them is by advising them to opt for arts therapy. Art provides a profound way of helping an individual to channel and express his or her thoughts via art.

Grief sometimes, makes someone to go mute because articulation becomes herculean at that point, so you will find people in that position saying things that are unrelated to whatever they are facing.

Generally, taking part in therapy is a bold step and should be encouraged. It shows that you have accepted your problem, and you are open to receiving treatment.

While the benefits derived from this would seem personal, you will be surprised to find out that, your act is encouraging someone to follow suit; do what you have done by coming clean and sober.

In arts therapy, you can decide to paint, draw, sculpture, dance, sing, write or do anything relate to arts. The end result is getting back on your feet with a positive mindset towards the world.

THE ROLE OF ARTS AND CRAFTS IN THE TREATMENT OF ADDICTION

Many rehab facilities often use arts and crafts in their addiction treatment, and it has proved to be a potent one. Most times, people do not really regard arts and crafts as something which they should associate themselves with, and this is due to the fact that they believe it is only for children. However, it should be known that arts and crafts is one of the fundamental ways of ensuring that the heart, mind and spirit are healed.

Also, with relaxation, a sense of purpose, thoughtfulness and expression alongside with creativity, it would give the artist a chance to undergo the healing process which occurs internally during the course of arts creation.

For a recovering addict, the mental stimulation of the creative pathway, is one of the most essential merits which he can gain. A good part of addiction treatment contains cognitive behavioural exercises which aids a person in knowing what caused their addiction in the first instance, and how to properly redirect their thought-process.

Arts and crafts gives an addict the opportunity to express their emotions and feelings in a way which can be regarded as healthy. This is very essential to someone who is in the process of recovery, because it is an emotional combat. Quite a number of people who have issues dealing with addiction, to the point where they would require treatment, can be said to have psychological problems, before they can be declared to be mentally healthy.

The inclusion of arts and crafts helps the addicts by giving them an entire creative expression, whereby they have the luxury of controlling the entire process and the eventual outcome. It is also important that the addict addresses the issue of addiction as if it is an independent entity.

Also, the process of undergoing an entire creative-thought process can be regarded as being productive, and beneficial for mental health and wellness. By engaging in arts and crafts, the addict is able to freely express his thoughts, which transcends into a configuration of healthy communication and thinking.

BEATING BOREDOM WITH ARTS AND CRAFTS

Boredom periods are moments when you just do not feel like doing anything. All you want to do, is to relax, sleep and eat without undergoing any serious activity. During moments like these, there is a possibility that you have a pending task which is most likely important. Failing to carry out such tasks, could result in having piled up ones in the nearest future.

So, to beat boredom, you can start out by dealing in Arts and Crafts. You would be surprised to discover that you would enjoy every single moment of it.

Below are some arts and crafts which you can do to kill Boredom:

1. Hama bead building blocks: This is a perfect replacement for building blocks which you might spend quite a lot on. You can select your preferred colour and size, alongside using beads to make bigger blocks, according to your preference.

What you would need basically are, Hama beads, pegboards, ironing sheets, iron, strong glue or hot glue.

• Ice chalk: This is the kind of activity which is ideal for summer days. This craft is very easy to do. What you just need to do is to fill the ice cube tray with baking soda. After this, put the cornstarch, watercolour paint and water. Then you mix thoroughly, freeze and take them out in the open. When you apply chalk to the cubes with vinegars, colour would surface.

• Foam paint: This is one activity which children would love to do. This activity tends to highlight their latent artistic skills. To make your three-dimensional paint, you would need just three materials, a glue, shaving cream and food colouring.

• Colouring wall: This activity also kills boredom as well. What you just need to do is, cover any wall of your choice with a white or plain contact paper, and give your kids the unlimited access of colouring as they like. During this period, you would be able to do other productive activities, while leaving your kids to sort themselves out. You would be doing them a favour by ensuring they do not get bored.

• Homemade stickers: For those who have great interest in doodling, making homemade stickers is a nice project which would definitely not keep you bored. You can transform those drawings into stickers with the use of contact paper. Once you are done, you can use them to decorate your jotters, notepads and notebooks.

• Fabric bracelets: You can also save yourself from boredom by doing a little bit of fashion. Fabric bracelets do not take time to craft, as what you simply need to do, is to wrap a strip of fabric, and complete it with a knot.

Addiction can consume a person’s life and leave them groping in the dark for a way out. Overusing a substance or an activity may seem like a fun idea at first, but it is not long before the monumental side effects take hold. People who have experienced the throws of addiction are left remembering feelings of dread, not the feelings of escape. In fact, the most memorable thing about addiction is recovering from it. Addiction recovery is challenging, but possible, and one means of bouncing back from it is by filling your life with worthwhile activities. Creating a life of purpose for yourself is integral to your addiction recovery.

One excellent means of filling your time when recovering from addiction is exploring the arts. Creativity is a basic human function, and everyone has the ability to express themselves creatively. Not everyone has the same level of talent, and people’s skills lie in different creative areas, but everyone is capable of something creative. Not only does everyone have the ability to execute an art or a craft form, but everyone can benefit from it. Creative activities are essential to a healthy brain. A brain that receives no creative processes in its mental diet is a brain that is not being used to its full capacity. A brain that is allowed to generate a creative process is a brain that is being exercised and pushed to its potential, which is always better for mental health.

Another useful way of filling your spare time with beneficial activities is by engaging in physical recreation. Any type of exercise, whether it is highly energetic or gentle, is excellent for your mental health and for addiction recovery. The reason for this is it has been proven that humans process thoughts, feelings and information better when using both sides of the brain. Exercise stimulates a large part of the brain, while thinking critically about your own mental health stimulates another large part, and occurring simultaneously, these two different brain functions aid each other and help develop one another. In addition, exercise helps restore your body to an optimal level of health, balancing brain chemicals in the process.

Arts and crafts time is something that most of us were exposed to as children. Some of us carried on the tradition to a highly-developed skill while others of us moved away from the practice. Regardless of someone’s skill level with any kind of art or craft, it has been proven in studies that engaging in an art form or a craft is good for mental health. Even rehabilitation centers and mental health professionals use art therapy for addiction and mental disorder treatment. There are many therapeutic benefits to take away from working on arts and crafts. Even if it has been years since you picked up craft material, consider rediscovering it in order to achieve a peaceful frame of mind.

Arts and crafts are beneficial to people for a number of reasons. Developing skill for a craft is unique among activities. It is not academic like school, nor is it productivity oriented like work. It is not athletic like a sport or a spectacle like watching a movie. Instead, it is a perfect balance of work and enjoyment that brings its facilitator to a place of unforced focus. Some people refer to it as a Zen state, as in the execution of the skill brings on a meditative state. Working with the hands is a good way of bringing about this state of focus because working with the hands exercises the right and left brain simultaneously. The activity also gives the person doing it total creative control, which is very good for expressing emotion and conviction.

If you are struggling with any mental hardship, ranging from common stress to clinical depression, consider arts and crafts as a means of treating your condition. There are a wide variety of options in arts and crafts to suit any interest. For those who appreciate sheer aesthetics in something they create, an artistic medium such as painting or drawing is suitable. For those who enjoy accessorizing, jewelry or figurine creation would be very enjoyable. And those who enjoy creating something functional, such as a bench or a shelf, should look into a craft like woodworking or welding. Do not hesitate to discover your favorite art form or craft today!