Creativity and Mental Health (by Abigail Smedly, CCPH)
When we think of ways to improve our mental health, many things come to mind -therapy, meditation, self-reflection, medication, exercise, loved ones, even pets!
While there are so many tools and modalities to improve mental health, one that is sometimes overlooked is engaging in a creative practice. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), Americans who engage in creative activities at least weekly report better overall mental health.
While that’s good news for some, many people may not consider themselves creative. But that is often a limiting mindset, as creative practices are an extremely broad range of activities. Even if you don’t consider yourself an artist, engaging in the practice itself is what makes a difference in your brain and mental health. You don’t have to be perfect, and you don’t have to “produce” anything at the end, the point is the experience itself! For instance, solving a crossword puzzle, playing an instrument, visiting a museum, gardening, cooking, or even dancing can activate the parts of your brain that participate in creative thinking.
According to an APA poll done in 2023, about half (46%) of Americans use creative activities to relieve stress or anxiety, such as playing the piano, crocheting a blanket, dancing with friends or solving crossword puzzles. Americans who rate their mental health as very good or excellent tend to engage in creative activities more frequently than those who rate their mental health as fair or poor.
“We live in stressful times, and sometimes our jobs and responsibilities can drain our energy and our mental health,” said APA President Petros Levounis, M.D., M.A. “Creative activities aren’t just for fun, they can help us take a step back from the daily grind, use our brains differently, and relax. Picking up that paintbrush or solving a tricky puzzle can truly move us to a different mindset.”
Another way to tap into this part of your brain, is to tap into your untethered mind. This means the state between waking and sleeping, or dreaming. Dr. Paul Seli from Duke University conducts research on this concept, and states “In dream states, there seems to be connectivity between disparate ideas. You tend to link things together you normally wouldn’t, and this should lead to novel outcomes. Neurally speaking, the idea is to increase connectivity between different areas of the brain.”
But you don’t have to be asleep to forge those creative connections. Mind-wandering can also let the ideas flow, especially the more you do this in nature. Adam Green, PhD, a cognitive neuroscientist at Georgetown University, has also studied this subject, and states “Letting yourself daydream with a purpose, on a regular basis, might allow brain networks that don’t usually cooperate to literally form stronger connections.”
Meaningful daydreams (like imagining a future vacation or desired career change) report greater artistic achievement and more daily inspiration. People who are prone to fantastical daydreaming (such as inventing alternate realities or imaginary worlds) produced higher-quality creative writing in the lab and reported more daily creative behavior. But daydreams devoted to planning or problem-solving were not associated with creative behaviors (Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, Vol. 15, No. 4, 2021).
Whatever modality calls to you, find a small window of time for it today! Maybe sit on a park bench and daydream about your next vacation, maybe solve a crossword puzzle, complete a paint by numbers set, garden, or cook your favorite dish. Your mental health will thank you!