Conquering Anxiety Through the Healing Power of Art

DISCLAIMER: This is not medical or scientific advice. I'm just sharing my personal experience.

Anxiety is a common struggle in today’s fast-paced world. For many, it’s an ever-present shadow that looms over daily life, making even simple tasks daunting. I’m pretty open about my experiences with anxiety, which led to Irritable Bowel Syndrome by the time I was 22. I’m not afraid to share my personal journey with anxiety and how art became my lifeline.

Having this condition has informed my life's work and my passion for my artistic hobbies, which have included at various times in my 54 years, watercolor painting, mixed media collage art, hand lettering and calligraphy, wheel pottery, knitting and crochet, sewing and slow stitching, handmade book making, scrapbooking, and card making.

Art-making has been shown to have powerful physiological and psychological benefits. Engaging in creative activities releases endorphins and other positive chemicals, which can aid in reducing stress and anxiety.

Working with one’s hands can be particularly helpful for calming the nervous system. Activities such as pottery, knitting, and painting engage the body in ways that promote relaxation.

The repetitive nature of these crafts can induce a meditative flow state, allowing individuals to focus and detach from their stressors. This tactile engagement creates a unique bond with materials that watching others create simply cannot match. Numerous case studies highlight how working with our hands suppors people in managing their mental health, showcasing its widespread benefits.

A regular practice of creating things with my hands has helped me profoundly to regulate my nervous system. The most surefire way for me to achieve flow state and relaxation quickly, and work toward healing my nervous system from overstimulation is to pull out my watercolor supplies and my art journals. Whether I'm painting a floral pattern or a graphic pattern of repetitive shapes, my designs are NOT complicated. This is easy, stress free art once you know how to do it. It is simply the act of putting brush and water to paint and pallet and then to paper that creates the relaxation response.

My Type A Personality, Law School and Anxiety Triggers

I would describe myself as having a Type A personality, a trait often linked to increased anxiety levels. Studies indicate that individuals with Type A characteristics tend to be more driven, perfectionistic, and competitive, which can exacerbate stress.

Attending law school in my early 20s brought about immense pressures because I very quickly figured out that I didn’t even want to be there. Feeling stuck and lacking the confidence to just leave school and get a job, I continued down a path that felt wrong for me. It was a tough realization that I didn’t belong there, and my health began to suffer.

This quickly lead to a very painful and scary case of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Stress is known to have a direct impact on gut health and can trigger IBS symptoms. When I sought medical help at UCLA, I was told that I would have to manage this condition for life, that it would never go away, and that there was no pharmaceutical or even psychological treatment.

My Tuning Point: Discovering Pottery

I made a crucial decision to take a year off law school, a step that opened doors to new possibilities. During this time, I began taking wheel pottery classes at The ClayHouse in Santa Monica, California. I had long had the desire to learn this craft, but I hadn’t had an opportunity until I made that very important decision to chose my self-care over a career path.

Working with clay immediately felt wonderful and with my ADHD, hyper-focus, Type A personality, I became totally addicted almost immediately. Suddenly I had not only a passion that felt natural to me, but I had purpose in my life-to figure out how to live the creative life long term.

The ceramics community that I found at The ClayHouse was welcoming and wonderful. I saw that there was more to life than the rigid confines of professions and earning a high income. But now I had a different problem. I needed to figure out how to be a creative while also supporting myself financially.

Returning to Law School with a New Perspective

I decided to return to law school because honestly, I was afraid of having regrets later in life. My parents still had a firm influence on me and I didn’t have the kind of self-confidence that I developed later, the kind that told me that I can pursue something that I like and succeed.

I thought I would have time to make pottery while I went back to law school for my second year, but I was wrong. As silly as this now sounds, I developed a plan that prioritized my well-being and laid the groundwork for my future in the arts: I needed to find a husband.

I got really freaking lucky. I asked the universe for help and my prayers were actually answered. It wasn’t long before I met the man that I married, a man that was perfectly comfortable accepting the role as the breadwinner in our new family and a patron of the arts. Ironically, I ended up being as much of a breadwinner as he was, but when I was 24, that was the furthest thing from my plans or reality.

Marriage and Motherhood: Adapting Artistic Practices

Once married and done with law school (I never even took the bar, that was a bridge way too far for me!) I was able to pursue all of the art that I had craved for so long. I continued to make pottery on the wheel and learned handbuilding. I took in-person art classes at Santa Monica College, UCLA Extension and with The Society for Calligraphy of Southern California. I took design, hand lettering, drawing and watercolor painting classes. I began to learn bookbinding for the first time in my life. I was living my dream.

A few years into our marriage, we became parents, and my artistic pursuits naturally shifted and changed with my new responsibilies as a mother. I found creative ways to integrate art into family life, spending time scrapbooking while my daughter sat in a bouncy chair on the kitchen table. And this passion for paper was the thing that led me to my first career in the arts.

Along with another new mother, we founded a printing company. We began by making birth announcements on our kitchen tables and together we grew our little printing company, Luscious Verde Cards, into a national sensation with over 350 distributors and more than 30 employees at its peak.

During that time, I had two more children and worked hard to navigate raising three children while being a small business co-owner. It wasn’t always easy, but I loved it. And at times, it was also extremely stressful, especially as the market for high end announcements and invitations started to change and business started to slow down.

My Second Major Bout with Anxiety

Co-running the printing business for fifteen years presented new challenges that reignited my anxiety. My business partner and I did not have a healthy relationship. I would describe us as co-dependent. My children were in need of a parent in the home, a parent who wasn’t stressed out by work all of the time.

After 15 years in the industry, I got completely burned out, awakening each day feeling stressed and overwhelmed. I felt my heart palpitating as soon as my eyes opened each morning. I think I was already in fight-or-flight as I woke up.

This alarming sign led me to reevaluate my career choices once again and the toll they were taking on my mental health. Leaving Luscious Verde Cards was the single hardest and most stressful thing I have ever done in my life. But I needed to prioritize my well-being and although I didn’t know it at the time, I needed to reclaim my own passion for my art.

Practical Tips for Using Art to Manage Anxiety

Find Your Creative Outlet

To manage anxiety, discover activities that resonate with you.

This is no where near an exhaustive list of things that you could try, but these are the things that I have tried and enjoyed at various times in my life. Explore local art classes and online classes and workshops to start your creative journey.:

• Art Journaling

• Watercolor Painting

• Hand Lettering

• Wheel Pottery and/or Handbuilding

• Mixed Media Art

• Collage Art

• Book Binding

• Knitting and/or Crocheting

• Acrylic Painting

• Drawing

• Scrapbooking

• Bullet Journaling

• Zentangling

  Mental health is multifaceted, and while art can be therapeutic, it's essential to seek professional help when needed.

  Remember, art complements mental health care—it's not a replacement.

Conclusion

My creative journey illustrates the profound impact of art on managing anxiety. While I probably will never be a “chill person,” anxiety never gets the best of me anymore. By engaging in creative practice, most every day, I have found solace and a path toward healing.

Anyone can incorporate art into their lives to enhance mental well-being. Explore the healing power of art and prioritize your mental health. Whether it’s painting, pottery, or any other craft, nurturing your creativity can lead to a calmer, happier, more balanced life.

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