Library blog

Do Something Good for Your Mental Health: Get Creative!

As we are hopefully--finally--moving past the COVID-19 pandemic, many (most?) of us living through this time have likely experienced less-than-optimal mental health in the last year.  May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so this is a good time to do an assessment of the state of your personal mental health. 

Much of the education and advocacy surrounding mental health awareness is aimed at those suffering from ongoing mental illness, as it should be, since 1 in 5 adults (20.6%) experienced mental illness in 2019--with 1 in 20 (5.2%) having serious mental illness.  Even with this sizeable percentage of adults experiencing mental illness, there is still a stigma attached to being diagnosed as "mentally ill."  The stigma has improved a little bit in recent years, likely partially because having good mental health and monitoring yourself for mental health problems has finally been recognized as an important component of overall health and wellness.  Also, especially in our productivity-focused, goal-driven society in the United States, there is increased recognition that attempting to live on a long-term basis with higher-than-preferred stress can cause almost anyone to experience some of the symptoms of mental illness.

Symptoms of mental illness, which may be temporary but should still be acknowledged, often include:

• Excessive worrying or fear
• Feeling very sad or low
• Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger
• Avoiding friends and social activities
• Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
• Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite
• Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress

Think about how you've been feeling the past year (plus)--I would bet most of us have experienced more than a few symptoms on that list at various times.  In many cases, these symptoms are temporary responses to high-stress situations (e.g. ongoing global pandemic)--and are normal and expected responses to stress and trauma.  However, if you or someone you know has experienced multiple symptoms listed above for an extended period of time, you or they may consider contacting a mental-health professional.  Students at Central Penn College and at many colleges and universities can contact staff counselors at their schools, and many businesses have an employee assistance program (EAP) available to their employees.  There are also helplines available from organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Luckily for most people, the temporary symptoms causing us to feel mentally unhealthy can be addressed in a number of different ways--many of which are cheap if not free.  For our May library display, we are featuring books that will help anyone find and develop their inner artist.  Do you have fond memories of art classes in elementary school, such as creating something out of clay and gifting it to a relative or friend?  Being creative--and especially finishing something that involved creativity, such as painting the last flower on a clay vase--can release dopamine, a feel-good hormone.  Participating in something artistic and creative can also be a great way to express and release emotions.  For some people and some experiences--such as those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)--simply talking is not enough to adequately express and work through their emotions.

Do you remember enjoying coloring books as a child?  In recent years, adult coloring books have become both available and popular.  There are also a number of apps available for various devices that simulate coloring in different ways, including paint/stitch/color-by-number.  (I am personally a fan of Cross-Stitch World, since I do cross-stitch in real life.)  According to clinical psychologist Scott M. Bea, coloring can make us happy and help us relax because we are focusing our attention away from ourselves and our problems onto a reasonably-simply and low-stakes activity.  Finishing a coloring page (or coloring design, if you're using an app) will release some dopamine just as drawing, painting, or sculpting might.  Crayola, the crayon company, even has free adult coloring pages available to print on their website.

As I mentioned earlier, we have a number of books available at the library for you to learn a new artistic activity and/or to improve skills you already have.  Check out the full list of books (including ebooks) on our New to You @ the Library Guide: Visual Arts DIY.