How Drawing Can Make You Happier

Art is one of Mankind’s oldest ways to get away from the stresses of day to day life and express themselves. Maybe that and making pottery to confuse archaeologists but jokes aside, can it make you happier?

Helps You Process Emotions

Artistic expression can be an amazing release. It allows you to take what you feel and place it instead on a piece of paper or tablet. From here you can delete the file or burn the paper or keep it as a reminder of times past. 

Obviously if you are having problems with Mental Health seeking Professional Help is always the best course of action. Studies have shown however that doodling or drawing can take away stress and remove feelings of anxiety. Again, you're putting these feelings to paper, even if it's just words written in creative ways. 

Drawing can also help you figure out our emotions. If you're feeling down and you spend an hour or so doodling rain clouds, you can see your feelings in front of you. This can help you understand yourself further, rather than becoming angry and frustrated.

Helps You Relax

Now, relaxation is different for all of us, you can sit down with a good book, play a video game, watch some TV, or, you can draw. Drawing engages your brain but at the same time you are in a more relaxed state. Meaning you can set off the reward centers of your brain without stress or worry.

You don’t have to be Vincent van Gogh, you don’t need to spend an afternoon drawing, just as much time as you fancy. You can draw whatever you want, let your imagination flow. Sometimes you just need 20 minutes drawing a stick-man riding a Dinosaur to help you get away from everything.

Don’t believe me? In School, get away from the more stressful or mind-numbing lessons, I bet you doodled at the corner of your page didn’t you. It's the same process here. So let your imagination take control for a little while.

Boost Your Mood

Drawing can engage the reward centers of your brain as mentioned in the above paragraph. Now let's take a deeper look. Obviously, start off with drawing the first thing that comes to mind, if you're angry it might be something aggressive like an explosion. If you're upset you could draw a lady in the rain, it's up to you, just let the emotions flow.

Next you want to draw something a bit more emotionally neutral, like a Bike or an umbrella, maybe draw something connected with a positive memory. Now take your time, don’t rush, you don’t need to meet a deadline. This is for you.

Eventually you’ll have a pretty neat little doodle, congrats you made that. Now let your imagination run free again, draw a mighty dragon guarding its hoards of treasure. Remember, it doesn’t need to be the Mona-Lisa, it just has to be you.

Just take a deep breath, put on a podcast or doodle in silence, then smile at that little achievement you can hang on your fridge. This exercise is all about you.

Improve Motor Function

Now this may not directly help with your happiness but it can help train your brain. Art requires a good amount of hand to eye coordination and sitting in an office or working the late shift may affect that. 

Drawing is a great way to keep your mind healthy as well as increase the mobility of the muscles in our hands and fingers. Think of it as a little mini exercise for your mind and body. And we all know exercise is a mood booster.

Help With Problem Solving

Lastly, again, not directly making you happier but, helping you along the way. See problem solving is essentially another word for critical thinking. Rewiring your brain to be less frustrated when you hit a roadblock and think up new ideas.

From the first idea you think of to the last time the pen, pencil or brush comes off the paper, your brain is figuring out every twist, turn and stroke you need to finish your artwork. Over time this will begin to apply to your day to day life. 

Logical/Thinking and Problem Solving can then help you relieve stress as you find yourself stuck on less and less tasks.

Ultimately how you draw is up to you, alone, listening to an old My Chemical Romance Album, with a couple friends or at a special event where you can meet new people, have some fun and just relax. Doodleledo offers social and corporate events, if you fancy, click the link and check it out.