Is the Art the Best Defense against COVID-19?
The worldwide stay-at-home order during COVID-19 has left many with an abundance of spare time on our hands and a lack of peace of mind in regards to the state of our jobs, health and overall future. With no end in sight, it is important to develop healthy coping mechanisms in order to endure an uncertain time of isolation.
New student at Clovis Community College, Leilani Costa, discovered positive effects from taking a 3D art design class as a way to release stress. “After missing out on my senior year of high school, prom, graduation, final track season and feeling imprisoned in my own house, I was pleasantly surprised when I gained a sort of creative relief from my art class,’’ said Costa.
Elizabeth Scott is a specialist in cognitive therapy and deals with treating mental illnesses with art and creative therapy. Scott finds that hobbies are essential to keep the mind and body active especially when it comes to dealing with stress and anxiety. When processing information regarding the rising cases of coronavirus, paired with the logistics of the virus in your area, and likelihood of it being a threat leaves the left brain overloaded. Art allows for creativity and an artistic outlet that requires usage of the right brain.
Scott’s 2020 article “How to Relieve Stress with Art Therapy” reviews the benefits of activation of the right brain especially when dealing with an overload of stress coming from the left brain. “Results of a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association found that just 45 minutes of creative activity can reduce your stress, regardless of artistic experience or talent,” said Scott. Using art as a form of self-care helps to take your mind of things and puts you into a state of free-thinking and creativity.
Lisa Rochelle, a teacher a Garfield Elementary School, agrees. “Every teacher understands the power that art holds with children. Kids instinctively are drawn to creative outlets such as painting, drawing, crafting, and sculpting because it provides relief to constant logical obstacles whether they realize it or not,” said Rochelle.
Art can be a positive way to not only cope during the uncertain times of the global pandemic, but also benefit the mind and body for people of all ages. While social distancing at home, adopting some form of artistic outlet may lead to COVID-19 seeming like a small bump in the road.