By Haeley Huggard
One of the recurring tropes in college is stress, whether it’s from the heaps of homework or the fear of final exams. What’s the best way to deal with it? What else is there besides sleeping, exercising and trying to eat less pizza?
Try turning your stress into something positive. Getting creative is an effective way to negate the negative feelings of anxiety and stress.
Emily Benson, a student worker at Delta College, likes to paint when she has free time.
“I don’t do it so much anymore, but I used to do Japanese art painting,” says Benson. “It’s like a tutorial; it gives you a book, and then you have a special paint brush and you only work with watercolors instead of acrylic paint.”
For many, being creative and using art to reduce stress has served as a gateway for self-expression and helping free the mind from negative thoughts.
Sherri Archer, adjunct instructor in art, passionately expressed her love for art and how it helped her through stressful times.
“Art has saved me so many times when I was stressed or dealing with anxiety and depression,” says Archer. “There’s nothing better for me than to shut myself off from the world into my studio with my cat, turn on YouTube videos or podcasts, and just create.”
Painting, drawing or coloring are artistic ways to cope. Not into those? Journaling in its many forms — bullet, art or gratitude journaling — offers an accessible outlet to sublimate your stress.
Handling stress creatively is a great way to not only create something positive, but can also help you feel better during the process.
“Something about manipulating physical media is soothing for me,” says Archer. “It gets me out of my own head and forces me to solve problems, trust myself and think creatively. It’s a very cathartic and energizing process.”
