Your pet. Or your imaginary pet. Flowers, leaves, or bumblebees. Fruit, or other particularly attractive edibles. A building or place you admire or have positive memories in. Made-up combinations of animal parts. For instance, draw a dog’s head on a pig’s body with a turtle’s legs and tail.
Color your illustration with bright, exciting colors. Draw patterns. Start with variations of circles, as they’re easier and more soothing to draw. Simply cover a page in a pattern. Losing yourself to abstraction can be a very effective method of providing yourself with a healthy distraction and can boost creativity and memory too![5] X Research source Draw your subjects smiling. Whether mountain, human, or animal, add a smiley face. Sure, it’s silly – but you’ll probably smile back.
Somewhere private is best, as your drawing will not be inhibited by the presence of others, and you will be less likely to be interrupted. Get outside. Simply being outside will calm you down. Drawing outside can also give you inspiration and ideas of things to draw.
Sitting down to draw for just a few minutes can rekindle your youthful spirit. You’ll get a boost in energy and may even feel more open-minded for the rest of the day. Expressing ourselves visually allows us to circumvent some of the barriers we put up as we age, and to access our less critical, less judgmental side more easily. [8] X Research source Mount your work. Hang it up somewhere it will catch your eye. Put it in your room or near a doorway you use to leave your house for unexpected boosts in your mood.
Destroy the representation of your stress. Scribble all over it, or tear the page into tiny pieces. Use your hands to make the act of destruction especially satisfying. Throw it all away! Just the act of metaphorically throwing your stressors away can be powerfully therapeutic.
Once you’re focused on emotion, allow it to pass through your arm and hand onto the sheet of paper. Allow your emotion, not your mind, to dictate the movement of the pen or pencil. Whatever comes out on the page is simply an expression of what you’re feeling. Since visual art is nonverbal, you don’t have to struggle to try to express yourself with words. Evoking feelings through creative expression can help you release emotions you’re holding in. [10] X Research source Recognize that the illustration itself is insignificant. Focus purely on the act of drawing. By doing this, you’ll be more mindful of the present moment. This allows your mind to clear itself and calmly begin to recalibrate your emotions. [11] X Research source
Keep a specific version of an illustrated journal in which you draw about feelings or ideas that come to you in specific contexts. For instance, keep a dream diary by your bed and attempt to draw what your imagination conjures in your dreams.
Vary the music depending on your mood – faster music can energize you as long as it doesn’t distract you or make you uncomfortable. Play songs you know well. Lyrics can be welcome if you already know them. Singing along or mouthing the words without thinking can have a calming effect that distracts you from whatever has been stressing you out.
Community colleges often have low-cost classes taught by well-qualified teachers, and classes often meet in the evenings. Lots of communities also have arts councils that will also offer fun-oriented, open-enrollment classes in drawing and other creative mediums.
