How to Calm Anxiety: Six Creative Ways to Cope
Introduction
During COVID-19, levels of anxiety have increased significantly in the population in general, as well as disproportionately increased in young adults, older adults, BIPOC individuals, as well as within healthcare workers. According to a February 2021 study, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that “During the pandemic, about 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder” and this is “up from one in ten adults who reported these symptoms from January to June 2019.” Young adults ages 18-24 reported a higher than average 56% experiencing depression or anxiety. In older adults, 65 years or older who are at higher risk for COVID-19, 46% reported that the pandemic has negatively affected their mental health. In addition, this article shares that “the pandemic has disproportionately affected the health of communities of color. Non-Hispanic Black adults (48%) and Hispanic or Latino adults (46%) are more likely to report symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder than Non-Hispanic White adults (41%).” Symptoms of depression and anxiety have also affected our heroes in this pandemic, healthcare workers. In a February 2021 study, researchers found that one in five healthcare workers reported symptoms of depression or anxiety. Through their meta-analysis, they found that anxiety was assessed in 12 studies, with a pooled prevalence of 23.2%.
So how do we calm this anxiety?
One option is to obtain professional counseling or mental health care and I highly recommend utilizing this approach. In addition, or in the meantime while on a waitlist or trying to find the right fit for professional services, many studies have found that engaging in creativity can aid in coping with anxiety. A 2010 American Journal of Public Health review of the literature surrounding art and healing, found that in five studies involving patients with cancer or other chronic illnesses, visual art created reductions in stress and anxiety and increases in positive emotions. If stress and anxiety can go down in patients with a serious illness, it is fair to presume it would benefit anyone. A February 2019 study published in Plos One journal shared that “artistic creative activities have been shown in a number of studies to be particularly effective in regulating emotions, mood, and mental health, and there is increasing use of them as adjunct therapies within health and also as recommended daily activities to support wellbeing.”
Read, Cook, or Garden
Often when people think of creativity, our minds go immediately to the fine arts or performative arts and although your singing in the shower may be amazing, you may not feel confident in these avenues for creative expression. The good news is that creativity includes much more! Even things like reading a novel, cooking, or gardening can engage the “scenic routes” of your brain, resulting in a departure from the anxious thoughts you may be ruminating over. Engaging in these activities will help calm anxiety in a few ways:
Any of these creative outlets are a great distraction. So when I say read, I don’t mean to read one of the 5 self-help books on your nightstand or catching up on professional development. I mean fantasy, biographies, historical fiction, something that will transplant you temporarily to another world, story, or person’s experience. It can give your own thoughts a break while you engage in some great pleasure reading, or audiobooks, as I’ve taken a liking to recently. (p.s. Do you know you can use the free library app called Libby to check out digital and audiobooks from the U.S. public libraries at no-cost?! Available on Google Play or Apple)
By creating through cooking or gardening, you can experience empowerment. Anxiety is driven by fear and sometimes people with a strong imagination suffer even more from creating scenarios where things could go badly or creating many outcomes ahead of time to dwell on. As Deepak Chopra says, “The best use of imagination is creativity. The worst use of imagination is anxiety.” By channeling your imagination into creating through things like designing your gardening project or picking your recipe, you can experience a sense of the power of choice. Your imagination can be brought to life in a way that you choose, versus sitting idle and letting your imagination run wild in an attitude of fear.
Playing in the dirt can increase your quality of life. In the study “Gardening is beneficial for health: A meta-analysis”, Soga, Gaston, and Ysamaura found that studies on gardening “reported a wide range of health outcomes, such as reductions in depression, anxiety, and body mass index, as well as increases in life satisfaction, quality of life, and sense of community.”
Doodle
Even if you do not consider yourself a visual artist, doodling with a pen and paper is accessible for any artistic level, and beneficial for calming anxiety. To doodle, grab a sheet of paper, notebook, or journal, and a pen or if you’d like to get fancy, colored pencils, markers of your choice. Here are a couple of methods to utilize doodling for calming anxiety:
Mindful Doodling/Prayer Doodling: I first learned this approach through Sybil MacBeth’s book, Praying in Color. She utilizes a method where instead of the traditional verbal or inner thoughts styles of prayer, she doodles the person’s name who is on her mind and draws shapes, and sometimes words around their name indicating what arises in her thoughts for them. You can also do this for yourself, or general topics, and if you do not consider yourself spiritual, it can be described as a mindfulness activity instead. By doodling around the topic, you’re in effect also drawing your attention to it and spending time with it.
2. Penny for your Thoughts: In addition to paper and pen or drawing utensils, grab some spare change for this activity. Trace around the coins until your page is covered with circles. Then color in the spaces where the circles intersect and let your creativity guide you to fill in as much of the page as you have time to complete. Additionally, if a certain song brings you peace when you hear it, try writing the lyrics to the song throughout the page. You could even start this one day and continue it as you have time throughout the week, or out of view of the camera during virtual meetings when you feel your anxiety rising.
Write it Out
This journaling prompt can also be completed on a sheet of paper or a journal. In addition you’ll need something to write with and either markers, crayons, or acrylic paint.
Quiet the Noise
“Quiet the Noise” Journal Prompt
Set a timer for 1-2 minutes.
During that time, write out what’s on your mind. It can be a bulleted list, paragraph form, phrases, etc. It doesn’t matter what form you write in as long as you don’t edit yourself, just write out whatever comes across your mind. This could be your to-do items, concerns, observations, decisions to be made, anything.
Next, circle three words or phrases you’d like to focus on for the day, or week, then paint or color over everything else on the page(s). If you need help deciding what to focus on, one idea is to choose the words or phrases you see on your paper that bring you a sense of peace. Another method, especially if you listed several to-do items, would be to circle which ones you feel you can realistically accomplish today.
Busy Schedule?
If any of these creative ways to calm anxiety sound good but seems unattainable due to your busy schedule, perhaps it’s time to instill accountability by utilizing co-creators. Join the “Hats off for Helpers” Healing Arts Membership for a community of like-minded, non-judgemental creators. We respond to Vision Journal and other Healing Arts activities alongside each other in a monthly live session and two self-guided activities each month. Come journal yourself to peace with us.