Creativity and Your Wellbeing
Katherine [Katu] Medina-Pineda, MHC-LP
The arts are an essential part of our human experience, whether we are in a state of creation or admiration at another’s artwork, all artforms offer a unique and universal language that helps us connect to ourselves and one another. In the 1940s, educator Margaret Naumburg began publishing case studies in which she implemented artistic interventions to treat patients with mental illness. While she is considered the “mother of art therapy” in the United States, we know from historical and archeological investigation of the world before european colonization that art was used in community rituals and as expressions of the abstract elements of humanity (emotions, thoughts, sensations) in cultures all around the world- from the cave paintings in the Netherlands to the Navajo people’s sand paintings, one of our distinctly human qualities is our proneness for creation and creative expression.
However, the world we live in now does not leave much room for creativity and imagination. Between 40+ hour work weeks, an expensive and uncomprehensive healthcare system, ongoing political upheaval, the cost of living far exceeding the minimum wage, and the dehumanization many of us go through on a daily basis by way of discrimination and microaggressions– it makes sense that most of us are severed from engaging in creative practices individually and communally. Tricia Hersey delves into the relationship between imagination and resistance as an integral part of what has helped Black Americans thrive despite a generations-long genocide the United States empire continues to execute in present day; wisdom which is also backed by extensive research on nervous system regulation. The reclamation of creativity in big and small ways will not only help us collectively resist as our government tries to rewrite history and take our collective power away from us, it will also regulate our nervous systems and help our resilience and capacities to navigate the tumultuous times ahead. Let us get into some creative activities and why these are helpful for our collective mental health.
Music
First, the act of making music- whether it be playing an instrument or singing alone and in a group- creates opportunities for both the brain and body to exercise together. Making music requires softening of muscles that often carry stress such as the jaw, the neck, and shoulders. A 2015 study published by The Royal Society found that choral singing participants showed higher levels of endorphins (joy hormone) and decreased levels of cortisol (stress hormone) after their practices. When we sing, hum, or play a wind instrument, our throats, lungs, and vocal chords are engaged to create the anticipated sound, stimulating the vagus nerve to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) response and help us achieve a relaxed state.
On the other hand, when listening to music, the body can respond in a myriad of ways, depending on the type of music one is listening to and a person's current emotional state. Music can help activate the PNS, particularly live music, as the vibration occurring in the inner ear also stimulates the vagus nerve. Additionally, music can help us understand our emotional state and help us move from intellectualizing to experiencing. That is why it is a common DBT intervention to listen to music that will elicit a particularly uncomfortable or unpleasant emotion as a distress tolerance technique to help individuals expand their resilient capacity for emotional discomfort. Listening to music offers a portal to connect with yourself by way of witnessing another person’s emotional vulnerability channeled through creative expression. Your emotional experience becomes less lonely as you find yourself relating to others’ humanity.
I am partial to listening to music as a way to access rage in a way that safely honors its presence without shame– by continuing a practice of carving out space to intentionally listen to artists such as DMX and Paquita La Del Barrio, my relationship with rage has shifted away from discomfort and more into compassion and a deep understanding and appreciation of how rage keeps me alive.
Dance
Studies from all over the world have shown that any and all forms of dancing have overall positive effects on people’s physical and psychological wellbeing. A 2024 metanalysis published in the Springer Sports Medicine journal found that participants across a variety of studies demonstrated increased self-confidence, social cognition, as well as a marked decrease in anxious and depressive symptoms. Dancing engages the body and mind to work together in coordination, like a mediation, in order to make controlled and deliberate movements that follow a specific flow and rhythm. Dancing, similar to somatic shaking, offers the body opportunities to release tensions and stored emotions while reinforcing oneself’s control of our own bodies. It can help create a sense of inner order for the nervous system to help it move from a state of activation to a state of relaxation. The uniquely helpful aspect of dancing, especially in group settings with live music, is that it stimulates the vagus nerve in multiple areas of the body: the music vibrates in your ear, you feel the vibration and heat coming from your own body and other peoples’ bodies, the sacrum (hips/low back) is engaged for stability and balance, and feet are making contact with the ground.
Virtually every single culture from the global south has created a unique expression of communal dancing to live music. We have Bombas in Puerto Rico, Capoeira from Angola to Brazil, Garifuna’s Punta, and Palestinian Dabke, which all originated as resistance movements that centered on collective grieving, healing, and empowerment. Regardless of your own experience with dance and whether you feel comfortable enough to take a class or participate in communal dancing, moving the body to music in the privacy of your own home can be just as effective (and help you work your way up to collective dancing). A 1-2 song dance/wiggle/shake break when you are noticing your nervous system is dysregulated can help clear your mind and give you a clearer sense of how to reclaim what feels out of control.
Crafts
From collaging to crocheting, knitting, embroidery, and paint-by-numbers, doing crafts alone and in community help us channel our emotions in a non-verbal way, particularly stress. When the mind and body engage in a soothing act of repetition, it helps us access a meditative state in which we are present with the task at hand with mind, body, and spirit. As with dance and music, the vagus nerve is stimulated, activating the parasympathetic system to help the body experience relaxation and safety. Crafting communally can create a sense of ease for people who struggle with social anxiety or understanding social scripts by centering a group activity that can inspire conversation and moments of connection and encouragement. A 2021 study published by BMC Public Health found that adults who regularly engage in crafting, particularly in communal settings, demonstrated increased social connectedness.
As capitalism jousts us into the workforce and forces us into isolation, crafting or engaging in creative practices becomes less central to our lives- which in childhood seemed foundational to most of our routines. Organizing craft nights with friends, family, and neighbors is a great way to nurture connection in a more organic way, allowing people to get to know each other not just through dialogue, but also through the creative expression of crafting. These creative moments can also be empowering for community organizers and activists– to create banners, posters, tshirts, face masks, and more items that can be shared widely during protests and other demonstrations of public dissent.
Sources:
Junge, M. B. (2016). History of art therapy. In D. E. Gussak & M. L. Rosal (Eds.), The Wiley handbook of art therapy (pp. 7–16). Wiley Blackwell.
Pistoia, J. C. (n.d.). How arts and crafts can help mental health. Psych Central. https://psychcentral.com/blog/arts-crafts-in-psychiatric-occupational-therapy#why-it-helps
Porges, S. (n.d.). What is Polyvagal theory. Polyvagal Institute. https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org/whatispolyvagaltheory