Moving out to improve one’s housing situation is the most common reason for moving among Americans in 2019. The other main motives for Americans moving are family-related and job-related reasons.
Moving to a new place can make anyone simultaneously feel anxiety, excitement, and stress. The good news is that you can easily reduce the stress of moving with art therapy. Continue reading below to discover how art therapy can reduce stress and boost your excitement to move.
Art Therapy Briefly Defined
As its name suggests, art therapy is a creative healing method that involves art activities. These activities include any form of creative and often visual media, including drawing, coloring, sculpting, and collage-making. Other forms of creative therapies include music therapy and drama therapy.
This type of therapy provides a look into your mental well-being and fosters healing through creative expression. Because it is still a form of therapy, you take art therapy with a licensed psychotherapist. You can join group art therapy — however, typically, art therapy occurs one-on-one with a therapist, much like a therapy hotline session.
Art therapy aims to help you achieve personal well-being, even when you’re experiencing emotional and psychological challenges. You don’t need to have intense trauma to get art therapy. Something as stressful as moving and starting a new leaf is enough reason to try attending art therapy.
What To Expect When Going To Art Therapy
Art therapy is broad and versatile because it’s for people of all ages and backgrounds. Kids and teenagers aren’t the only ones who go to art therapy. It’s also for seniors, veterans, artists, successful entrepreneurs, and more.
With the diversity of its clientele, art therapy materials and activities also vary. Some sessions cater to kids and feature child-friendly art materials. Others have more challenging tasks for experienced artists or art enthusiasts. You may even meet some of the best professional movers in a group art therapy session that can provide expert services like “local n long-distance movers near me.”
Like art, this creative form of therapy covers a broad range of techniques and mediums. You can choose what type of art therapy you explore. Some common techniques you’ll find in art therapy are:
- Doodling and scribbling
- Finger painting
- Sculpting
- Clay art
- Collage art
- Paintings
- Photography
- Coloring
Art therapy isn’t only about making art with an art therapist. Together, you examine what you’ve created and how you feel about it. You and the psychotherapist will explore how you felt during the art process, what you feel afterward, and other similar aspects.
On top of that, you’ll learn a few skills in creating art from your therapist. It’s okay if you don’t have an artistic background. Your therapist will guide you through the medium that you want to use for art therapy.
Benefits of Art Therapy When You’re Preparing for a Move
Art is more than pleasurable to look at. It’s also pleasurable to make. On top of that, you’re taking therapy to a degree, which can help you focus on your inner feelings and help you recenter yourself.
So, when you take art therapy, you get an excellent combination of exposure to art and therapy.
You Focus on Something and Forget About Your Stressors
A side effect of anxiety is that it can keep you from focusing on important tasks. You may feel tempted to procrastinate or reminisce, which can cause a lot of problems as moving day edges closer.
Fortunately, with art therapy, you can learn to tap into a “state of flow.” Flow or focus is when you’re deeply engrossed in an activity. The more you learn how to tap into your flow state in art therapy, the more you can tap into it when you’re doing other tasks, like packing.
It Helps Reduce Depression and Anxiety
Making art is meditative and calming, which is one of the points of art therapy. Imagine sitting down in a well-lit room with an array of watercolors in front of you and a blank canvas. Also, creating art stimulates the release of dopamine, the chemical that helps you feel pleasure and happiness.
You Create Time for Yourself for Self-Care
Preparing and planning for a move can take up all your time that’s supposed to be for rest and self-care. While working non-stop can prepare you faster for moving days, it can tire you out and lead to more long-term damage to your physical and mental well-being.
Taking a day each week to attend art therapy can help you slow down, breathe, and enjoy your own company. Plus, you’ll be expressing yourself in the process with art that you can later put up in your home.
FAQ
How does art therapy differ from art class?
Art class focuses on teaching students certain art techniques or creating specific art. In contrast, art therapy is all about giving you more freedom to express yourself and to focus on your inner experience.
Do I need to bring my own art materials for art therapy?
Yes, most art therapists will ask you to get an art therapy supplies kit. The supplies in your kit may also vary depending on the technique that you want to focus on in art therapy.
Do I keep or bring home the art I make in art therapy?
Absolutely. Any art you make in art therapy is your creation. Thus, it belongs to you. You may keep the art and display it at home after the session or leave it in the art therapist’s care. When the art is in your therapist’s care, you can trust that they will safeguard it like any other personal information you share with them.
